Cupcakes and Tattoos
by HereWeGoNow
Summary: AU: Callie Torres is the best tattoo artist on the west coast. Along with her business partner/best friend, she owns her own successful shop. What happens when a new business with a perky new owner opens up next door?
1. Chapter 1: But, it's pink!

"Oh fuck no!"

"Cal, calm do-"

"No, no, no!"

"Callie!"

"Cristina, it's pink! Pink! What kind of crazy person does that!"

"The perky kind, that's who. Oh my god, it is actually giving me a headache looking at it. I may need to go home sick today, Boss Lady. Bambi can handle my one appointment today. He can do some stupid stars on a foot right?"

"Absolutely not! This is going to ruin my business. Fuckfuckfuckityfuck!"

"What? How?"

"I'm badass! My shop is badass! People come here want to be badass! THAT is NOT badass!"

"For the millionth time, Cal, people who say they are badass are not badass. You're only badass if you dont know it. It's a way of life. You used to be badass, but all you have been lately is a boring, mopey, sniveling..."

"Shut up Cristina! Just shut up."

Callie Torres and Cristina Yang stood across the street facing the tattoo shop Callie and her best friend, Mark Sloan, owned. Somehow they had missed what had been happening next door to her shop before stumbling over to the cafe for some coffee. The massive hangovers they both were fighting probably didnt help. Callie's shop was a simple old red two story brick building with black accents around the windows and door. The business was downstairs and Callie lived in the apartment upstairs. The only thing they really had gone all out on was the gorgeous wrought iron sign sporting the name, Evangaline's Tattoos and Piercings. The shop used to sit next door to an old run down restaurant that had been closed down and boarded up since before they opened up 6 years ago. Five months ago the boards came down and construction started. The old restaurant was being completely remodeled and before today, was looking amazing. Even though she had no idea what kind of business was going in, Callie had been excited to get a new neighbor in that building. Anyone putting that much time, work, and money into their new business had to be successful. She was hoping to maybe team up and bring more business to her shop, not that they really needed the help. Now, with this new paint job, she's not so sure. They stood in silence for awhile while they watched a few men putting up the new sign above the door. They couldn't see the sigh yet, so both were curious to see what this new business was about.

"Hey ladies. What are you two out here doing? You have been gone for over half an hour," Mark asked, walking up behind the women. Their apprentice/shop bitch, George O'Malley, and their piercer, Meredith Grey, were close behind him. He turned to take in fully what they were gaping at. "Oh... That shade of pink does not go with that shade of red. Talk about clashing. Big no-no," he observed. _Wait, did I say that out loud?_

Callie slapped him on the shoulder and gave him an incredulous look. "Mark! What are we going to do? There has to be a law about this or something! Fix it! It is probably a woman who did that. Go over there and do whatever it is you do to get women to sleep with you and get her to change the color."

"Don't worry Torres, I bet it won't even last a year."

"Sloan, a business owner who makes bad decisions like painting their building with pepto-bismol will not last more than six months," Cristina paused. "I will take that bet."

"A year and a half," Meredith wagered.

"I think it will be successful," George said optimistically.

"Guys..." Callie wasn't usually someone who spoke poorly about others, especially people she knew nothing about. She looked back at the god awful pink building just as the men pulled off the cover of the sign. All five of their jaws dropped open. "I give it 4 months," Callie said as she shook Cristina and Mark's hands.

* * *

"Hey Boss, you should come out here and look at this!"

"What is it Alex? I'm kinda busy here," Arizona Robbins asked. She growled as she scrubbed futilely at the pink paint she accidentally splattered on her favorite pair of shoes. After not receiving an answer, she sighed and walked up front to find her favorite employee, Alex Karev. She found him crouched behind the shiny new display counter they just put in. "Alex, what the-" Alex grabbed her arm and yanked her down to the floor next to him. "Alex! Why are we on the ground?"

"Why are you barefoot?"

"I was trying to get the paint off of my shoes. Now tell me why we're on the ground. I do not have time for this. We open in three days!"

Alex peered over the top of the counter and pointed out the front window. Arizona took his lead and peeked over the top to see what he was pointing at. Directly across the street she spotted three women and two men standing silently in a row staring wide eyed towards her shop. "How long have they been out there?"

"I've been watching them for about 15 minutes. The hot Latina one was yelling and pointing over here. Then they all seem to decide on something and shook hands. Now they have been just standing there doing nothing. Should we go say something?"

"Umm... weird. Let's wait until April and Lexie get here and if they are still out there we can go see what's up. Safety in numbers and all." Arizona said just as the men she hired to put up her sign come in through the back door. "Hey guys all set?"

"Yup! It looks great. Want to go check it out little lady?" the shorter of the three asked. Arizona couldn't remember his name and didn't care to. She usually had better manners, but he didn't waste any time hitting on her as soon as he got here earlier. He was a total creeper and she just wanted him to take his buddies and leave.

"No, it's okay. I'll go look later. Thanks guys, bye!" Arizona waved as she practically ran into her office and slammed the door. She really did want to go see the completed product. She was excited and proud to finally get this place open, but with the people outside staring at her and the slimy sign installers, she decided she could wait 5 minutes. She jumped when someone knocked hard on her her door. _Jeeze Arizona, calm yourself._ When she got up and answered it, she found her other crew members Lexie Grey and April Kepner. "Oh hey guys! Now that the whole team is here, let's get down to business."

After a quick 10 minute meeting about what time she needed everyone to be there the nex day and what tasks she wanted each them to do, she noticed those people were still across the street, sipping coffee, and talking amongst themselves. _Don't these people have lives or jobs?_ "Okay team! Let's take a break and go to that little cafe across the street and get some coffee. My treat! You guys have been working hard for me and you deserve it."

They went out the back door, walked behind a few buildings, and slipped through the little alley to the main street. The four of them each ordered a coffee and a snack and decided to sit outside in the patio area the cafe provided. From there they could see the new sign and it looked perfect. Arizona thought that her brother would have been proud. She sighed and looked to the sky. It was a beautiful clear day, as always in the little Northern California town they all now called home. From here, Arizona had a clear view of the five people who were still standing and staring at her shop. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. At her scoff, Alex, Lexie, and April turned to see where she was looking. "They work in the tattoo shop next door," Lexie said quietly.

"How do you know that and why aren't they, you know, over there working? I'm starting to get worried," Arizona whispered.

"I did my research like you asked. I don't know anything else about them though." Arizona could tell she was lying. Lexie was her best employee and a horrible liar. She decided to let that go for now. She nodded remembering how she had Lexie do the research. She had it narrowed down to six locations and couldn't decide for herself. So she delegated the final decision to Lexie. Lexie had spent days going over the numbers, pros, and cons of each location. She was able to narrow it down to two and presented all the information to Arizona. She even made a power point presentation. She was a bit of an over achiever. Lexie secretly really wanted her to pick this location and was prepared to fight for it, but Arizona chose it herself. Arizona wasn't sure at first about opening next door to a tattoo shop. She was afraid of the memories that might resurface, but the previous owner gave her an amazing deal and the downtown location could not be beat. She had previously decided not to visit the shop or learn too much about it, so it wasn't surprising she didn't know these people.

"I'm going over there! You guys stay here. Watch my back." Arizona winked and quickly stood up before she lost her nerve. As she slowly approached she immediately noticed the tall dark haired woman. Alex was right, she was super hot. She was so busy checking out the woman's ass, that she didn't notice that she had stopped directly behind the group and just stared. She might have been drooling, but chose not to acknowledge that.

"Can we help you Blondie?" the taller of the two men asked. Arizona's eyes immediately snapped up to find five pairs of questioning eyes staring at her.

_Crap, did they notice I was staring at the hot one's ass?_ "Umm..." Arizona noticed the beauty wasn't really paying attention to her and took this opportunity to check her out further. She started at the brunette's wavy perfectly messy hair, down to her deep brown eyes, down towards her bright red full lips, down, down, down. _Holy shit, the woman's front is better than her behind._ How was that possible? She was wearing dark tight jeans tucked into motorcycle boots and a tight purple wrap shirt underneath the hottest leather jacket Arizona had ever seen. Did the jacket make the woman hot or did the woman make the jacket hot? The chicken or the egg? Would it be a bad first impression to stick her face in the perfect cleavage that the shirt presented her with? She could also see a hint of a tattoo peaking out of the jacket sleeve on the brunette's left hand. Arizona had a feeling there were a lot more hidden under all those clothes. All those clothes she would gladly help her out of to find out. It would be like unwrapping the best Christmas gift ever. Okay, now she was definitely drooling.

"Yo, Blondie!"

Arizona snapped out of her gawking and stuck her hand out to the man to introduce herself. "Um, right. Hi! I'm Arizona Robbins." She pulled off her best dimpled smile. She was hoping to charm her way out of her drool fest. She wasn't dumb, she knew she was good looking and men usually fell over themselves to impress her. She wasn't interested, of course, but they didn't need to know that.

The man smirked and leaned in closer, "Mark Sloan, nice to meet you cutey." _Did he really just wink at me?_ Arizona used all her strength not to roll her eyes and turned expectantly with her hand out to the cranky looking woman standing next to him. The woman just rolled her eyes at her. "Sourpuss here, also known as Cristina Yang, doesn't really play nice with others," Mark explained.

"Shut up man whore," Cristina said as she punched him hard on his arm.

"Ooookay... super!" Arizona smiled, a little confused by their interaction.

"Super?" Cristina mouthed silently at Callie. She was already annoyed by the perkiness coming off this blonde in waves and then she went and said that. Callie choked on the laugh she tried to hold in, making Arizona turn to her next. Callie's breath caught in her throat as she locked eyes with the intense blue ones of this perky blonde stranger. Arizona knew if she had the chance, she could get lost in those chocolate brown eyes. Oh how much Arizona loved chocolate. She licked her lips, imagining how this woman would taste covered in chocolate. _Focus Robbins_! This woman was turning her into a horn dog and she hasn't even talked to her yet. Callie took Arizona's offered hand and shook. She continued to stare and shake the woman's hand for an unknown amount of time. Both women loved the feeling of their hands together and neither seem to notice they were about to set a world record for longest hand shake.

Mark leaned over and whispered in Callie's ear, "Use your words, Cal." He smirked since he really couldn't blame Callie for staring. You could probably find this woman's picture as the definition of stunning in the dictionary.

Callie dropped Arizona's hand and smacked Mark on the head. Arizona noticed this dude got hit a lot. She found herself wanting to hit him too. "I'm Callie Torres," Callie pointed to the two silent people behind her, "and this is George and Meredith."

"So, Callie, Mark, Cristina, George, and Meredith, I noticed you guys have been out here staring at that new building for awhile. What's up?" Arizona asked. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want to reveal she was the owner quite yet.

Callie spoke up first, "See that tattoo shop next door? I own it," she said proudly, "well, Mark and I own it. Cristina, Mark, and I are the best tattoo artists you'll find on the west coast. See the design? It is classy, badass, and people want to go there. Someone decided to come in and put a bubblegum Easter basket next to it, completely ruining the vibe I tried to set. Even the name is terrible. We've been out here trying to figure out how to fix it."

"It's not that bad. It screams fun and it's inviting. I'd totally go there. At least it is not at all frown," Arizona said, looking back and forth between the two buildings. Callie was pretty sure Arizona has just called her shop frowny.

"Of course you'd think that McPerky," Cristina said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey what is that supposed to mean?" Arizona couldn't decide if she was insulted or proud.

"Did you just call my shop frowny?"

"Maybe..."

"Hey guys," George interrupted, "we should really get back to work."

Just then Alex and April walked up to the group. "Hey Boss, we should get going. You gave us a long list to do and we really don't want to be here all night."

"Okay." Arizona turned to Callie, taking a business card out of her bag. "Here's my card, call me if you need any of my services." With one last smile, she quickly walked away, taking her crew with her.

Callie blinked as she watched Arizona walk away, her eyes drifting downward on their own accord. Even thought there was still snow on the ground, the blonde was wearing short cut off jean shorts that showed off her perfect cream legs. _Nice_.

Cristina snatched the card out of Callie's hand. "Oh em gee, no way. I knew something was wrong with that one."

Mark took the card and looked at it. "I don't care. The crazy ones are always better in the sack."

"What are you guys talking about?" Callie asked, still watching the blonde's ass walk away. Mark handed her the card. It was light pink with little purple and blue butterflies flying around the logo-_ Awesome Bakery. Owner and Pastry Chef: Arizona Robbins_. She looked up at the exact replica on the sign across the street.

_Shit_.

* * *

**A/N: SO, I have never written anything in my life. I thought I'd just throw this out there and see if there is any interest. I have plenty of time on my hands lately and needed something to have some fun with.**


	2. Chapter 2: I'm your boss

Arizona stood outside her bakery before morning light. As a baker, she had to be up before the rest of the world. People want their pastries, breads, and coffee for breakfast, so that's what they would get. Arizona believed in same day freshness. She would never serve day old product. Always use the finest ingredients and never ever cheap out on quality, no matter the cost. That's what her dad taught her. As a little girl, Arizona believed he was the smartest man alive. Even in her late twenties, she believed that. So, every morning she'd be up at work at 3:00AM preparing for the day. She didn't really need to be here early today, since her bakery didn't officially open for another couple of days, but old habits die hard. She still couldn't believe she was the boss now. Arizona still expected her dad to walk in the kitchen and hand her the days cake orders. She was a gifted artist, so she had always done most of the decorating. Her brother helped, before he found another passion. Arizona thought of all the good memories she had working in her parent's bakery in New York as a child and teenager with her brother. Those were her favorite memories. She clung onto them. They were all she had now. They were her life.

She sighed as she looked at her dream. Was this the right choice? Contrary to popular believe, she actually didn't really like the color pink. Her parent's shop was pink and she wanted to bring the quirky shop out to California. It was her mom's doing. Her dad gave her mom whatever she wanted. He loved her more than anything. She wished she could find a love like her parents. "I miss them," she said out loud to herself and smiled wistfully. She turned her head to look at the dark shop next door. They wouldn't be in for hours. She thought about the group from yesterday and thought that maybe they could be friends. She wanted much more than friendship with Callie. She has never had such strong feelings for a stranger. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to try anything. Not now. Maybe not ever. She almost wished Callie to be straight, so she wouldn't even have a chance. She should try to find out soon to put herself out of her misery. It's not really something that comes up in everyday conversation. She spotted the little rainbow bar sticker in the window. Well, that could mean anything. She sighed again and unlocked the doors to her shop. She still had hours of work to do on the mural she was creating on the walls and she needed to get to work if it was going to be finished in time.

_I hope you're proud of me, brother._

* * *

"Hey Joe! How's business?" Cristina asked as she spotted the owner of the bar her and her friends frequent walking in through the doors of Evangaline's.

"Business is great. You lot sure help me out with that," Joe joked. It was true, just Cristina and Meredith alone kept the tequila companies in business. He was sure of it. "Is Callie here? I'd like to talk to her about getting some more work done."

"What, you don't want to talk to me? I'm clearly the better choice. Way better than Mopey McMoperson back there. What can I do for you? Pin up girl? 'I heart my momma' on your arm? Something tribal on your ass? An anatomically correct human heart? That's my specialty."

"I know you're great, Yang. You wouldn't be working here if you weren't. But Callie and I have a standing deal worked out. She gets drinks and I get ink."

"Oh please, you don't have enough space on your body to get the amount of tattoos done to equal the amount that girl drinks."

"Just... is she here?"

"CAAALLLIIIEEE!"

"Jesus Christ Cristina, would it kill you to get off your lazy ass and walk back to get me?" Callie asked, coming out of her office with her arms full of various sketches she had been pretending she was working on for clients. She had really been in her office for the past hour day dreaming about the sexy baker she had met the day before. She had to find a way to apologize to Arizona for insulting her choices, even though Callie felt she was correct in this. _Way to go Torres, sticking your foot in it again, as always._

"Yes, it might actually."

"I'm your boss. Be professional damn it!"

"Pardon me, Ms. Torres, you have a Mr. Joe Bartender here to see you." Cristina stood up, bowed, and plopped back down at her station.

"I hate you."

"You love me!"

Callie turned to Joe, "Hey Joe, sorry for the rudeness. What can I do for you?"

"No worries. I am used to her by now. I was hoping you could fit me in sometime soon to continue on my back?" Callie had been working on a massive back piece on Joe for a few months now. It was a throw back to the old school nautical and mermaids themes, with a Torres twist, of course.

"Sure! Just ask George to fit you in on the schedule some time next week. This should be the last session and then we'll have to think of something else to start. I'm needing to drink tonight." Callie sighed. Ever since her encounter with Arizona she has been on edge and horny as hell. Maybe a random would help tonight. No! She promised herself she'd be celibate until she met the right girl. She wanted to do things right for once. She wanted a real romance, with dates and flowers, and all that other sappy crap. No more random hook ups. Maybe Arizona was interested? That would most definitely help her out here. There was like a 90% chance Arizona was straight, but when has that ever stopped Callie? She had entertained plenty of gay for a day women in her time. Her mind wandered back to her favorite day dream fantasy from earlier. It involved frosting and cookie dough. Yummy.

Cristina recognized that dirty look on Callie's face. "Hey Joe, you better find her a girlfriend and fast before she drinks you out of business," Cristina butted in, not looking up from the heart she was currently drawing on her thigh. Callie grabbed the marker Cristina was using and threw it across the room. "Well, Cal, that was mature. I'm just looking out for you. I am told that's what friends do. Ever since She-who-must-not-be-named bailed you have turned into a real piece of work. I just want you to be happy. You're one of my best friends." Cristina mentally patted herself on her back for being able to keep a straight face through her little speech.

"Wait, you dated Lord Voldemort?" Joe asked.

Callie ignored Joe and stared suspiciously at Cristina. Cristina Yang has never cared about anyone's feelings. She narrowed her eyes at her, "You lying bitch. What are you really getting at?"

"Okay fine. As your roommate, I am tired of having to sit through breakfast every morning for the past 4 months with you crying in your Chex and being kept awake with your drunken 'nobody loves me, what is wrong with me, I'm so forgettable' nightly rambles. Oh and the random hook ups you bring home! Don't even get me started. Just gross. It's awkward. I don't do awkward. You finding a new lady lover is purely selfish." Cristina would never admit it out loud, but she did actually want Callie to be happy. She missed happy badass Callie.

"And there's the Cristina Yang we know and love!"

"Shut up and get me my marker back."

"Don't you have any real work to do?"

"I'm doing walk-ins for a month. Do you see anyone walking in?" It was mid afternoon on a Thursday. Not exactly the busiest time for them. "Cal, you're the boss, can't you get Georgie Porgie to not put me on walk-ins anymore?"

"That is what you get for pissing off the scheduling guy. I am not interfering. I'm sure you deserve it."

Cristina turned to Joe, "You're his man lover, can't you give him a little extra something-something? Help me out here, Joe." She gave him what she was hoping was her best smile. It came out as more of a lopsided sneer.

"No way! I know what you did! I would take away your tequila too, if I knew you wouldn't star rioting outside my bar and scaring away my customers."

Cristina shuddered at the thought of her tequila supply being cut off. "Fine, I'll be good. Stupid manboy can't take a joke."

"Cristina, you almost got his ass kicked!"

Cristina smiled at the memory. This thug had come in wanting a barcode tattoo on his neck. Because she was obviously a more gifted artist than that, she nicely offered the job to the shop apprentice, George. How else was he going to learn, right? Except she told him the guy wanted it on his ass. The look on the dude's face when George asked him to remove his pants was priceless. He probably would have punched the snot out of him, if Mark hadn't interfered. "I'm such a genius. I should have been a doctor."

"Hey Joe! What do you think of the new neighbor next door?" Mark asked, coming up from the back. Joe's bar sat on the other side of the bakery.

"It's... I don't know. I'm worried about the appeal and what it could do to my business."

"Yeah, Torres is worried about the same thing. We met the owner yesterday. Hot and she seemed nice too. Friendly." Mark said using his hands to show off Arizona's dimensions.

"Pffft please. She looks exactly like someone who would own that Barbie's Bakery and she's perky. Like super perky. It's disgusting. You should paint your bar orange. We'd almost have a rainbow. We can start our own Homo Village," Cristina butted in... again.

"Cristina just leave!" Callie yelled

"But-"

"Out! Go home! Clean something!"

"Fine, yeesh. Who pissed in your cereal you've been crying in?" When Cristina went out the back door to get to the stairs that led to her and Callie's apartment, she saw that the backdoor to the bakery was propped open. She could hear loud music playing from the inside. _Well, at least someone here has good taste in music._ She quietly took a peek inside and couldn't believe what she saw. Well, considering who it was, she could kind of believe it. "You have got to be shitting me," she said out loud to herself and ran back into the tattoo shop.

"Dude guys! You have to come see this!" She grabbed Callie's hand and drug her outside. Mark and Joe were too curious not to follow. Cristina pointed at the open door of the bakery. Callie shook her head no. The last thing she needed right now was Arizona or one of her employees to catch them spying on them through the back door. "Just look! You won't regret it."

Callie sighed and took a look. She immediately burst out laughing. Cristina, Mark, and Joe just stood speechless.

_Figures._

* * *

**Note of the now: You guys sure know how to make a girl feel welcome! I just wanted to give a little info about where this weirdo idea came from. I've been wanting to write a story for this site for awhile now. My over active imagination really needs a release. I am a wannabe baker, so I knew that should be a part of my first story. I also have a potty mouth, so I'm sorry if the characters end up with one too.**


	3. Chapter 3: Please be gay

Arizona abruptly stopped what she was doing. She could have sworn she just heard the most beautiful laugh, but she knew she was alone. She continued to mix her chocolate batter. She had decided earlier to do a test run in her new kitchen. Maybe she would bring some cupcakes next door. She found herself looking for any excuse to go talk to Callie. She was in the middle of her usual baking routine. Music, dancing, and mixing. She believed it made her product the best.

"Are those heelies? Do they really make those for 'grown ups'? Seriously?" Cristina wouldn't really put Arizona anywhere near the grown up category. Callie burst out laughing again, causing Cristina to quickly cover the brunette's mouth with her hand and push her down on the ground.

_Okay, there it was again._ Arizona turned just as Callie and Cristina dove behind the door out of sight. She looked around and didn't see anyone. _What in the world? I need to sleep more, I'm officially going bonkers._

Cristina peeked back around the door. Arizona was facing back the other way. She signaled for Callie to come back. They both watched wide eyed as the blonde rolled, yes rolled, around the back room of her bakery. She had a bowl in her hand and was shaking her butt in time to the music. It was the cutest damn thing Callie had ever seen. Cristina was just horrified. She started to mimic Arizona's horrible dance moves. "Cristina, what are you doing?" Callie whispered.

"Just shaking what my momma gave me." She continued to wiggle her butt.

Callie completely lost control of her laugh, making Arizona slam her bowl down on the table and spin around to face the door. She overestimated the speed of her spin on her wheels and ended up flat on her ass. Callie ran inside and kneeled down next to the blonde, "Arizona, are you okay?" _Do you need me to check out your cute butt to make sure it's not broken?_

Arizona looked up to meet Callie's concerned eyes. She felt herself starting to get lost in them. She heard a cough and looked around to see sourpuss Cristina, Mark, and a tall curly haired guy she has never met staring down at her. "Freaking awesome," she whispered, covering her face with her hands. She was mortified. _Way to make an ass of yourself in front of the hot lady, stupid, stupid, stupid. Wait... _"What the hell are you guys doing spying on me, again?"

Cristina shrugged and walked back out the door without saying a word. She was pissed that Callie blew their cover and ruined her fun. Joe reached his hand down to help Arizona up. "Hi, I'm Joe. I own the bar next door. You should come by sometime."

"Arizona Robbins, I own this bakery you all barged into uninvited. Now leave please, I'm busy," she smiled sweetly at him. Arizona wasn't really that busy and she didn't want them all to leave, just the boys. _Callie, read my mind. Please stay. Maybe if I give her sexy eyes, she'll stay. _Callie locked her eyes onto those baby blues. She read Arizona's message loud and clear.

"Oh, feisty! I like," Mark whispered in Callie's ear. She grinned widely, because she liked it too. Arizona swooned. How had she not noticed Callie's electric smile yesterday? _Oh right, you were too busy perving on her body to notice_. Mark and Joe turned to leave. "Coming, Cal?"

_Pffft, I wish._ "Um, Arizona do you need any help?"

_Nope. _"Yeah actually that would be great!"

Mark stepped behind Arizona, so she couldn't see him, but Callie could. He made two peace signs with his hands and banged them together crudely. _I'm going to kill him._ She glared at him and mentally told him to get the hell out. He got the hint and shoved Joe out the door.

"So…" Arizona smiled broadly at Callie. _Alone at last._

_Oh dimples. Oh god. Did someone turn up the heat?_ Callie shrugged out of her jacket and set it on a chair in the corner. "So…" She turned to find Arizona staring blankly at her. She was used to this. Revealing her arms usually left woman staring. Not that she minded. Mark, Cristina, and her worked hard on those babies. There were meant to be admired. The brunette took this opportunity to let her eyes roam Arizona's perfect body. She had on another pair of cut off shorts and a plain blue baby doll tee that showed off just a hint of a firm stomach. Her skin was entirely free of any tattoos or piercings. She found herself wishing she could get her hands on it. She loved tattooing virgin skin. Something about being the first person ever to leave a permanent mark on someone was a major turn on for Callie. Everything about Arizona was a major turn on for Callie. Oh the things should could do right now. She glanced at the bowl of frosting sitting on the counter next to the batter. _Ten piedad._

Arizona could feel Callie's eyes on here. They set her body on fire. _Seriously, did someone turn up the heat in here? _She realized her gawking was going on for too long for what was socially acceptable, but couldn't find it in herself to care. As soon as the Latina took off her jacket, she knew she was in serious trouble. The art Callie displayed on her arms was indescribable. She hasn't seen that kind of talent since her brother was alive. Arizona had to clasp her hands behind her back to keep herself from reaching out and touching the beautiful ink. She trailed her eyes up Callie's arms and found nothing but muscle. The Latina pulled of soft curviness and pure strength unlike anyone she has ever seen. She needed to get her hands on those curves. She had been going through a little bit of a dry spell in the sexual encounter department and this vision in front had her drooling once again. She had a hard time controlling her bodily functions around this woman. She noticed Callie looking at the frosting she made earlier with a look that she thought (really hoped) that was full of desire. _Oh have mercy._

BANG! The back door slammed shut, making the two woman jump and snap out of their individual fantasies. "Hey Arizona! Hey Callie!" Lexie greeted. She only received two glares back and continued on to Arizona's office to go over some last minute paperwork.

The heat and tension in the kitchen was unbearable as Arizona and Callie continued to stare into each others eyes. Unbeknownst to the other, they were both thinking the same thing. _Please be gay. Please be gay. Please be gay. _Callie managed to find her words first, "so what did you need help with?"

_Oh, right. I need to come up with something Callie could do. _"Uhh, actually I am getting pretty tired. I have been here since 4:00AM," she glanced at the clock, "and it is now closing in on dinner time." She could really use some food, sleep, and a cold, cold shower. She could leave the cupcakes for Lexie to finish off.

"Yeah, I should probably get back to my shop. I need to make sure Cristina hasn't killed George or burned the place down. You all ready for the big opening? "

"Yup! It's going to be awesome!"

"Awesome? Actually, I've wanted to ask about the name…" Callie waved her hand around showing she meant the name of Arizona's bakery.

"It's kind of an inside joke between my brother and I. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime."

Callie noticed a brief sadness flash across the blue eyes she knew she could fall in love with. She smiled, "I'd like that. Soooo, I will get going and I'll see you around." She walked towards the door and paused. "Arizona?"

"Yeah?" Arizona looked at her hopefully.

"I'm sorry for insulting you yesterday. I can tell this place is your baby. I'm sure you have your reasons. I know you will do great here."

"Thanks, Callie. That means a lot."

"The gang and I usually go out to Joe's after work. You and your crew should come. We can all get to know each other, since we're neighbors and all. We get off at ten and then head right over there."

Arizona thought about it for a minute. She really wanted to spend more time with Callie, but she was so tired and had to be back early tomorrow morning. It was their last day to prep for her grand opening. _Ah, fuck it! _"Sounds super! I'll head home, take a nap, get ready, and meet you guys over there?" _What am I going to wear? It has to be hot. Psh, I'm always hot._

"Great! So I'll see you then." She gave Arizona her best smile, winked, and walked out the door. _Smooth Torres, You've got this._ She remembered that she needed to grab some sketches from her apartment. She slowly walked up the stairs, thinking about how she wanted tonight to go. _Shit, I forgot my jacket at Arizona's._

Callie turned back around and knocked on the door. Arizona wondered who could possibly be knocking on the back door, since Alex, Lexie, April, and her were the only ones to use it. She was pleasantly surprised to see Callie standing there. "Hey, miss me already?" She flashed Callie her dimples.

_Absolutely. Christ, Arizona got more beautiful in the last 90 seconds since I saw her. _"No, I, um, forgot my, um…" she pointed at the chair she had left her jacket on earlier, "jacket. Yup. Jacket." _Mental facepalm._

Arizona opened the door wider, letting her in. "Well you better get it." Callie brushed passed her making brief contact for the first time since their handshake. Both of their bodies hummed and two hearts skipped a beat. Callie put her jacket on a promptly ran right into the chair it had been sitting on.

"Chair." _Smooth move genius._

She headed back out the door and locked eyes with Arizona once again.

"Bye Callie, see you tonight."

"Bye, Arizona."

_Please be gay!_

* * *

**Note:** Don't worry, Callie's tattoos will be revealed later on. I'm waiting for the perfect moment. It's late and I hope this chapter made sense. Until next time folks! _  
_


	4. Chapter 4: She's interested

"Lexie, come here please!" Arizona turned to find Lexie already standing behind her. "Oh, hey, can you finish off these cupcakes, package them up, and send them next door with invites to our grand opening? I'm going to head home to try and get some sleep. Callie invited us all out to Joe's tonight, so can you also call Alex and April to let them know?"

"Sure, no problem." Lexie looked around anxiously.

"What's wrong, Lex?"

"Is Meredith going tonight?"

"I guess so. Callie said they usually all go out." Arizona eyed Lexie suspiciously.

"Oh... okay."

"What do you have a crush on her or something? I mean she's cute, if you like that sort of thing." Arizona knew Lexie wasn't gay, but she also knew she had to find a way to get her to spill the truth. Lexie was a smart girl, but very easily flustered.

"What? No, no that's not it! I'm straight, like super straight. Love me some penis. I actually think I might like that Mark guy. He's a man, so I'm straight." She looked at Arizona. "Omg, I mean there's nothing wrong with being gay. Obviously. Maybe I'd like to touch breasts, I mean woman are beautiful too. I-"

"Relax Lexie!" Arizona decided to cut off Lexie's ramble before she dug herself in too deep. "I was messing with you. I know something is going on with you. I just want you to know that you can trust me if you need to talk about it. Okay?"

"Okay," Lexie smiled. She did want to talk about it, but really needed to talk to Meredith first. "Maybe tomorrow over coffee?"

"Sure. So, tell the crew to meet here at ten tonight and we'll walk over together."

"Great. I'll text them and finish these. See you tonight!" Lexie was both excited and nervous. She was nervous about spending time with Meredith and excited to go out for the first time since giving up her life in New York and moving here.

Arizona hopped on her vintage sea green Vespa and headed home. She looked around the tree lined streets and smiled. She will never get over how beautiful and quiet it is here. People strolled down the street and greeted everyone they met like old friends. No one ever seemed to be in a hurry. It was all smiles and warmth. A far cry from New York City. She thought about what brought her and her friends here. Arizona was glad she had Lexie. She was a talented cake sculptor, organized, reliable, loyal, and got along great with all the customers. Exactly what someone would want in an employee and friend. Give that girl a hunk of cake and she could carve it into anything you asked for. Alex was also loyal, reliable, and hard working. He was not the best with the customers, but that boy could pump out hundreds of cookies and cupcakes like nothing. Arizona had somehow convinced both Lexie and Alex to make the move out here from New York. Alex needed a change of scenery and Lexie jumped at the chance once she found out the location. She found April once she moved out here. She might have stolen her from the bakery in the next town over. April was good with the frontline tasks. Taking orders, manning the register, tracking supplies. That kind of stuff. She was also a great back up decorator and general baker.

Her parents were not too happy that she moved across the country and stole two of their best employees. Three, including Arizona. They knew why she did it though and they understood. The time was always coming. Arizona needed to get away from the memories and pace of the big city. Between her brother and her messy break up almost a year ago, she felt like she was drowning. She was getting too good to be cooped up in her parents bakery, so the family decided it was finally time to open this second location in her mother's home town. Arizona saved up her whole life for this. She never went to college, so her parents gave her the money they saved u[. She was also given her brother's college money and his savings. At first she didn't want her brother's money. It was too depressing. She almost took out loans to cover the rest, but also knew her brother would never allow that. He believed in her and always talked about investing his money in her when he was alive, so she finally caved. Between their savings and college money, she was able to do this all by herself. No loans. It was both bittersweet and freeing. She would never admit to anyone how scared she was about all of it. Arizona was worried about failing herself and her family. She also believed she was 100% ready for this. She trained her whole life for it. She would fight tooth and nail to succeed. She would not lose focus. She thought about Callie. _I'm in trouble._

* * *

"Mark!" Callie yelled storming into Evangeline's after embarrassing herself in front of Arizona. "I fucked up!"

"Uh oh, what did you do, Torres?" He stood up, apologizing to the dude he was currently tattooing a pin up girl on. Women were his specialty. On skin and off. He coaxed Callie into her office so she wouldn't make a scene in front of their clients.

"I invited Arizona and her crew out with us tonight!" She was officially freaking out.

Mark waited patiently for her to continue. He wasn't getting it. "And?"

"She said yes!" She looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He was just confused. Then it dawned on him. "Well, well, well, does little Ms. Dine and Dash Torres have a crush?" He tried and failed to keep the pure joy he felt off his face about his best friend finally having some interest in someone.

"Mark, don't look at me like that and I DO NOT have a crush. I am not twelve." _Oh yeah, I am crushing hard._

"Yeah, but you obviously like her or we wouldn't be back here freaking out when I have a paying client out there waiting. I don't blame you, she's hot. Is she a lady loving lady like yourself?"

"It's not just because she's hot! Well, she is. She's stunning, gorgeous, and… perfect. I'm not that shallow! Unlike you! There's something about her that I'm just drawn too, though we have yet to have an actual real conversation since all I can do is stare at her. I don't even know if she's gay! I do think I saw her drooling earlier." Callie smirked, freak out almost forgotten. "She must think I'm a freak just staring at her and spying on her!" Nope, freak out is definitely still happening. _I can't breathe. Is this what a panic attack feels like? Oh God._

Mark has known Callie for twenty years. He has had plenty of experience dealing with her over reacting ways. It's just what she did. Freak out first and think logically later. He knew he had to just stay calm and ride out the storm and it almost always worked out.

"Cal-Cals look at me." Mark put both of his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Once she heard his nickname for her, she snapped out of her panic attack. He had started calling her that when they were 8 and she has hated it ever since. "It's going to be fine. There is no way she wouldn't like you. Look at you! You are great. Inside and out. You don't need me to tell you this." He could see the doubt in her eyes. He never hated anyone as much as he hated Erica Hahn for how she singlehandedly destroyed his best friend. He could also see a glimmer of hope in those brown eyes. Mark prayed that the perky new baker who dropped into their lives could be the one to finally bring his friend back.

Callie smiled, "thanks Momo." She hugged him. He gave the greatest hugs. "I know I can't hide forever. I guess I will just see what happens. You coming tonight?"

"Please, like I'd miss the show. Of course I'm there!" He was sure the two women would be skirting around each other all night making fools of themselves. Sounded like a great time to him. He put his arms around her shoulder and they walked up front together.

Callie sat down at her station to put the finishing touches on the sketch of a portrait she made of her client's daughter. He would be here in about half an hour. Callie was well known in the tattoo world for her life like portraits. They were so real looking, it was almost creepy. People travelled to their small town from all over to get work done from her. When they first decided to open their shop here, they were a little worried about getting any business. It was a small town with mostly retired folks and young families. Not exactly a lot of people here wanting tattoos. They soon discovered people were willing to come to them. They were only 45 minutes away from a big city, so that helped also.

Opening Evangeline's with her best friend in the town they grew up in was the best decision Callie has ever made. She thought back to the day she met Mark. She was at the park with her parents and two older sisters, Aria and Eva. She found him in her secret hiding spot under the slide using markers to draw all over his skin. She thought it was the coolest thing and asked him to draw on her too. They were there for an hour talking about all the colors and arguing over who could draw the best frogs. Their parents were furious when they finally found them and they had been inseparable ever since. They went through everything together. He was her first boyfriend when she was ten, her first real kiss at twelve, and they lost their virginity together at fifteen. She told him she was pretty sure she was gay immediately after, so that was the end of that. She was there for him through his parents' divorce and he was there for her through her sister's cancer. They got their first tattoos together as soon as Callie turned eighteen. They each got a frog, of course. They were brother and sister. Mark's mom let Callie move in with them when she was kicked out of her parents' house after her dad caught her kissing her high school girlfriend at seventeen. Her relationship with her dad was already rocky at the time since she told him she wanted to be an artist, so finding her with a girl was the last straw. She was a Torres. Torres' were lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. They were certainly not lesbian tattoo artists. She worked hard to get where she was. She went to school to learn art and business. Her business was very successful. She just wished her dad could see that and be proud of her. They do still talk, but rarely. They stick to safe topics like her mom, sister, and Mark. He still asks when they're going to get married and give her mother grandbabies. She still tells him that will never ever happen.

The bell on the door dinged and she looked up to find Lexie looking around nervously with a tray of cupcakes in one hand and an envelope in the other.

"Yo, Cupcake Girl, those for us?" Cristina yelled from her station. No matter what Callie did, she could not stop Cristina from being a loud mouthed bum. It didn't really usually bother her. It was part of what made Cristina, Cristina. They met at school when they were assigned a dorm room together and have been living together since. It was a strange friendship, but it worked.

"Arizona wanted me to bring these over and give you this," she handed Callie the envelope.

"Yes!" Cristina ran over and snatched the cupcakes out of her hand. She immediately took one out and bit into it. "Mmmm! Are these crack cupcakes?" Cristina has never tasted anything better than this. She took three more and went back to her station.

Callie rolled her eyes, of course Cristina would get up for free food. "Leave enough for the rest of us piggy."

"Nope mine! Not my fault you're too slow."

Mark walked over grinning at Lexie, "what's in the envelope?"

Lexie froze. "So cute," she whispered looking at Mark. Both Callie and Mark heard it, but knew they weren't supposed to. Mark continued to grin at her.

"Oh jeeze snap out of it Manwhore! I'm sure Cupcake Girl here would love to frost your cupcake if you just ask nicely." Cristina sprayed cake all over the floor as she talked with her mouth full.

Lexie turned bright red. "Um, it's an invitation to Awesome Bakery's grand opening on Saturday. Arizona wanted you guys to stop by. It's all day long, so anytime is fine."

"Saturdays are usually pretty busy around here, but we'll definitely try." Callie wouldn't miss it for the world.

"Great! I will let Arizona know," Lexie turned to leave, "so I'll see you guys tonight?"

"For sure!" Mark replied as Lexie left.

"Who has the crush now?" Callie teased. Mark beamed and went back to his client.

"Wait, what's tonight?" Cristina asked. Callie gave her a guilty look. "Please do not tell me you invited Barbie's Cupcake Squad out with us?" Callie silence was all the answer she needed. "Oh hell no! They can't be any fun! They'll probably sit in the corner shitting rainbows and drinking sissy fruity drinks! Just because you want into Blondie's pants, you have to ruin all my fun?"

"Cris, it's just one night. I'm sure they're plenty of fun! And I don't want to get into Arizona's pants." The lie slips out without Callie even knowing why. There's no way Cristina would believe her.

"Liar! You've been eye sexing her up since the moment she rudely interrupted our bonding time. Screw this, where is Mer? I'm going to have to pre game if I'm going to survive this night." Cristina stormed off.

Callie grabbed a cupcake. It was a little work of art. She almost didn't want to eat it, it was too pretty. She took a big bite. _Oh sweet Jesus, these are dangerous._

"Tonight is going to be interesting."

"Oh yeah."

* * *

Arizona was kidding herself when she thought she'd actually get a nap. She was way too anxious to get any sleep. Instead, she took her time getting ready. She was determined to show Callie she wasn't a pink loving Barbie doll.

*Vespa, Ducati, or Mini?* Arizona stood in her garage trying to decided what vehicle she wanted tonight. _What would Callie like more? Definitely Ducati._ It was no question. She put her helmet on and mounted the blue custom painted Streetfighter. The bike was another thing she had inherited from her brother. She would have never picked it out, but couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. The power she felt in between her legs was almost as good as sex. Almost.

Callie and Mark were standing outside of Evangeline's waiting for the rest of their friends when they heard the roar of the motorcycle. It pulled up to the curb in front of them. They were both shocked and pleased to see that there was a woman driving it. The woman had on tight black jeans and shin high black buckle boots. Callie was sure those jeans were painted on. They showed off the woman's ass and legs nicely. It was topped off with a simple black leather motorcycle jacket. The woman took off her jacket to show a tight dark blue corset blouse with capped sleeves and a plunging neckline that displayed the perfect amount of cleavage.

"If it doesn't work out with Blondie, Cal, go for that." Mark whispered.

Callie could only laugh. He knew her well. This woman definitely did it for her. Maybe Mark was right. They watched as the woman took her helmet off and shook out her long curly blonde hair. _Oooh and blonde too. _Callie loved a good looking blonde. Now she just needed to see her face.

Arizona knew that Mark and Callie were standing there watching her. She noticed before that they seemed pretty close and prayed they weren't together. Callie did say they owned the tattoo shop together. That wasn't a good sign. She turned back towards them and flashed Callie her best dimpled smile. She actually practiced it in the mirror earlier. Yes, she was that kind of girl. "Hey Callie," she waved, "Hey Mark!"

When Callie realized it was Arizona, she lost the use of her legs. Luckily she had been standing close enough to Mark and he was able to keep her standing without it being too obvious he was the one supporting her. Mark knew Callie was a goner. Arizona noticed Mark's arm wrapped around Callie's waist and the flustered look on her face and assumed she was ruining a private moment. "I have to meet my crew inside," she pointed at her bakery, "so I'll see you guys over at Joe's in a few." She ran inside before she could get an answer.

Alex was the only one there so far. "Looking good, Boss. Trying to impress someone?" He really hoped that was the case. Ever since her break up with the She Devil in New York, she hasn't even been on a date, let alone been laid. Women tried, but she never gave them the time of day. He needed her to be happy. He believed he owed his life to the Robbins family. The picked him up off the street and gave him a job. Arizona was the only family he ever had and he looked up to her like a big sister.

Arizona signed, "I was."

"Was?"

"I thought that maybe Callie would be interested, but apparently not."

"What makes you think she's not. She would have to be blind not to be."

"Just drop it Alex." She really didn't feel like going out tonight anymore, but Callie and Mark already saw her. She couldn't bail now. She heard Lexie and April laughing as they came through the back door. "Come on, let's get this night over with."

Callie sat down hard on the bench they had outside their shop and put her head in her hands. "Oh my god," she said quietly.

Mark let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, you are so screwed!"

"Ya think!"

Cristina, Meredith, and George walked up together. Cristina looked at the Callie. "What's wrong with her?" They got distracted by the door to the bakery opening. They watched the group head towards the bar. _Wow, they clean up nice_. Cristina spotted Arizona. "Oh, now I get it. It's like Callie's wet dream coming to life."

Callie finally looked up and punched Cristina in the arm.

"Ow! That's harassment! I'm calling Human Resources and filing a complaint."

"Shut up, Yang. I am Human Resources." Callie snapped. "Can we go now?"

They walked into the bar and looked around. They spotted the bakery crew sitting around two big tables pushed together and headed that way. Callie took the empty seat across from Arizona. Callie tried to make eye contact, but Arizona was looking everywhere but at her. _What the hell?_

Mark leaned towards Alex, "Hey, I'm Mark Sloan, I don't think we met."

"Alex Karev."

"Well Alex Karev, want to help me get these ladies some drinks?"

"Hey!" George pouted. "I'm not a lady."

"Close enough Georgie Porgie." Cristina said.

"Fine you can help too. Give you a chance to see lover boy."

"Sure." The men pushed their way to the front of the bar, already knowing what their friend's orders were.

Arizona finally made eye contact with Callie and they both blushed. Cristina saw the way they were looking at each other. "Oh barf, come on Mer, let's dance. I can't stand the all the eye sex. Makes me feel dirty." She grabbed Meredith and started towards the dance floor.

Lexie also saw the way Callie and Arizona were looking at each other. She saw a chance to get them alone. "April and I like dancing too!"

"We do?" April asked. Lexie glared at here. "Oh! Yeah we love to dance!"

"Whatever." Cristina reluctantly led the girls to the dance floor.

Callie moved to the now vacant seat next to Arizona. "So do you like dancing too?" She asked hopefully. She noticed Arizona had used darker make up than usual and her blue eyes were really popping. _I'd love to get sweaty on the dance floor with you!_

"Somebody should save the table. You can go, I'll wait here."

"Um, yeah, okay." Callie left to find the other girls.

From the bar, Mark and Alex watched Callie head towards the dance floor alone with a defeated look on her face. Mark had to help out his best friend, since she obviously couldn't do anything right herself. "So Karev, what's the deal with Arizona?"

Alex looked at his boss sitting at the table alone. After their little talk earlier, he knew he needed to help her out. "What do you mean?"

"Look, I'm going to get straight to the point. Callie is my best friend. No, she's my sister I never had. She has had a rough go at it in the love department. For a long time, the light in her eyes disappeared. As soon as Blondie there walked into her life, it has been back. I need to know if she is at all interested in Callie, before she gets hurt again."

Alex thought it over. Arizona would be pissed if she knew he butted in. He decided he didn't give a crap. Someone had to do something. "Don't tell her I said anything, but she is definitely interested. Arizona is also like my sister and I would do anything to protect her. Her last girlfriend messed with her brain. If you know Callie wouldn't hurt her, I think we need to push them. Arizona is stubborn as hell. She deserves to be happy more than anyone I know."

"Callie is one of the most stubborn people I know and she also deserves to be happy." He slapped Alex on the back. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Karev. Let's go get our girls together."

By the time they got all the drinks, all the girls had returned to the table. Arizona and Callie were back to sitting at opposite sides of the table avoiding eye contact. Alex and Mark took the seats next to their respective girl. Mark leaned into Callie and whispered in her ear, "she's a lady lover and she's definitely interested." At the same time Alex whispered in Arizona's ear, "she's gay, and she's interested."

Callie and Arizona instantly made eye contact. The rest of the room faded around them.

_Game on._


	5. Chapter 5: What happened last night?

**A/N:** This is the second update for today, so make sure y'all read the one before this if you haven't already.

* * *

Callie woke up suddenly from a deep sleep. Something had smacked her in the face. She glanced around her room. _What the fuck? When did I get home? _When she noticed it was an arm, someone else's arm, that had rudely awaken her, she jumped up wide eyed. The sudden movement sent immense pain shooting straight through her head and she immediately laid back down. _Please tell me I didn't. _She looked down and realized she still had all her clothes on from last night, including her boots. _Oh thank god. _She shifted onto her elbows and groaned. _I'm never drinking again... pffft yeah right. _The person laying next to her let out the cutest little whimper. _Fantastic. What the fuck did I bring home this time? _Callie was no stranger to bringing strange women home, but she usually kicked them out before they fell asleep. She was obviously too drunk to care last night, since she can't even remember how they got here in the first place. Callie followed the arm that was thrown across her pillow down to the mystery person's face. _Arizona? _Callie couldn't help but smile. _I have definitely found worse in my bed._

Arizona was on her back in a deep sleep next to her. Her face was peaceful and her blonde hair was splayed out all over her pillow and framed her face. Callie had thought this woman was beautiful before, but now she was sure Arizona was an angel. Callie immediately noticed that Arizona had somehow lost her shirt, but was still in her bra, jeans, and boots. _Thank god. As much as I want to have sex with her, I'd really like to remember it.. _She looked at the blondes bra covered breasts. _Just perfect. _Her eyes moved down Arizona's stomach and landed on her waste. Her pants were riding low, so she caught a little glimpse of the dark red lacey underwear that matched the bra Arizona was wearing. _Nice! _Callie was starting to feel like a creep for ogling the other woman in her sleep. She wasn't sure what the protocol here was. It's not everyday you find the biggest crush of your life in your bed in her bra. Should she wake her up? _That would definitely get awkward._ Should she just get up and wait for Arizona to wake up on her own alone? _What if she doesn't know where she is when she wakes up? I dont want her to be scared. _Should she take a chance to feel what it was like to hold her breasts in her hand? _No, that's assault_. Just then Arizona snorted and rolled onto her stomach. Callie laughed. _She is too damn adorable_. "Arizona?" she asked quietly, checking to see if the woman was awake. No answer.

Callie's eyes found Arizona's back. _Holy shit_! Arizona's entire back was covered in the most stunning tattoos Callie has ever seen and she has seen a lot of great tattoos. Displayed across her back were the most realistic butterflies and flowers. It almost looked 3D. Callie was sure they would fly off her back at any minute. She knew that this was incredibly hard to do and was a little bit jealous of the artist's talent. Callie wasn't even sure she could pull this off. The mix of purples, blues, pinks, and greens on Arizona's creamy white skin really popped. Callie noticed that Arizona's lower back wasn't quite complete. It just had some outlines done and the start of some shading. It was a masterpiece. She should be put on display. _If I had Arizona's body and this on my back, I'd be walking around naked all of the time.* _Callie couldn't stop herself from lightly running her fingers across Arizona's back, touching each delicate butterfly. _Wow... what, who, how?_

Arizona woke up to something tickling her back. _What the hell? Where am I? What time is it? _She had the biggest headache of her life. The last thing she remembered was Cristina challenging her and her crew to a drinking contest. She was not one to ever back down from a challenge. She noticed the very close presence of another body. It felt so good. It has been a very long time since she's been this close to anyone. She peeked one eye open and looked around. _Ugh it's so bright! It must be morning already. _Arizona could still feel something on her back and realized it was someone's fingers. She saw a mess of dark brown hair and noticed familiar brown eyes curiously examining her back. _Callie. _She smiled slightly and then frowned. She didn't want anyone seeing her back. At least not yet. Not before she was ready to explain. _Where is my shirt? And why am I still wearing shoes?_

Callie looked down at Arizona's face and jumped when she realized Arizona was awake and staring back up at her. Her intense blue eyes questioning her. Callie stopped the movement of her fingers, embarrassed to be caught touching her in her sleep.

"Um.. sorry, I was just..." Callie had no idea what to say. She didn't know why Arizona was in her bed, she didn't remember much about last night, she was caught touching Arizona's naked back, and she had unknowingly shifted so close to her that the sides of their bodies were now smashed together. _Where to start?_

"It's okay... uh, good morning?" Arizona was also at a loss for words. "I'm hoping you know where we are, what happened last night, and why we both are in the same bed still in our clothes from last night? Well, most of our clothes." She sat up looking around for her shirt. She noticed Callie staring at her bra. "Callie! Focus!"

Callie wasn't embarrassed. Who could really blame her for looking? She smirked, "if you want me to focus, you should probably put a shirt on."

"I would if I could find it!" _Seriously, where the hell is my shirt. I love that shirt!_

"Here, just put this on," she handed Arizona one of her t-shirts she usually slept in, "and I only know the answer to one of your questions. We are in my room in my apartment. The rest of it is a little fuzzy."

Arizona pulled the t-shirt over her head. It had a faint scent of pomegranate shampoo, just like the sexy brunette watching her from her bed. She glanced back at Callie, who was sitting there opening and closing her mouth like she wanted to say something, but couldn't figure out how. Arizona sighed. "What?" she asked, even though she knew what was coming.

"Arizona, those butterflies..." Callie saw the sadness in Arizona's blue eyes and her heart broke a little for the blonde. "They are so amazing. Who did it? Why isn't it finished?" Arizona didn't say anything. "I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

Side by side they sat in silence, each suddenly finding the opposite wall very interesting. Arizona was fighting internally with herself. No one, besides her family and her ex, has ever seen the work on her back. She had wanted to keep it to herself. Now she finds herself loving the fact that this girl, pretty much a stranger, was admiring her in that way. Arizona didn't know why, but she wanted to tell Callie what she has been keeping bottled up inside. But could she really? Tears came to her eyes. _I need to get out of here_ _right now. _Arizona stood up abruptly, startling Callie out of her own thoughts. "I have to get going. I have a lot of work to do." She turned away from Callie hoping she didn't notice the tears in her eyes.

Callie noticed the sadness in her voice and lightly grabbed Arizona's wrist, tugging her back down onto the bed. "Arizona, you can talk to me, you know. I know we just met and the majority of the time we have spent together we were either drooling, drunk, or sleeping." Callie paused. _Here goes nothing._ "But I can tell that you're an amazing person and I really like you. Like, really, _really_ like you. We clearly each have some demons to work out, but I'd really like to do something about this. About us." Arizona looked at her with wide eyes and started sobbing. Callie was confused. _Not really the reaction I was hoping for. _"I'm sorry! I didnt mean to make you cry." She drug Arizona into her lap and hugged her with all her might. _Oh baby, what's wrong?*_

They sat in more silence as Arizona cried. It's been so long since she has let out any emotion, that it now was over flowing all over Callie's shirt. Arizona has never felt so comfortable in anyone's arms as she does right now. They stayed like this until Arizona was cried out. She decided to take the risk. "My brother." Her voice was muffled by Callie's shirt.

Callie leaned back to look at Arizona's face, "Huh?"

Arizona crawled off Callie's lap and sat down facing the other way. She couldn't look at Callie for this. She didn't want to see her face. "My brother was the one who did my butterflies. He died before he could finish them."

_She has a dead brother who did tattoos? Why didn't she say anything before? Wait! Her brother? Robbins. Oh my god! _"Your brother was Tim Robbins?" She asked, already dreading the answer.

Arizona only nodded. Callie knew of her brother. Everyone in the tattoo world knew of the famous Tim Robbins. He was probably the most talented up and coming artist in the world, until... her heart completely broke for Arizona now. Callie heard the stories about how the young artist was tragically shot multiple times in the head and chest by a group of men who had been harassing his sister in the park one late night. She heard that his sister had tried to save him, but he died in her arms before the ambulance could even get there. They never did find the gang who killed him. _Of fuck, his sister! _"Arizona, please tell me you have another sister."

Arizona only started to sob again. Even harder than before. "Callie, I got my brother murdered. He was trying to protect me and and... " She trailed off.

Callie scooped the broken Arizona back up into her arms. This was a lot of information to handle before breakfast. She promised herself right then and she would take care of Arizona if she let her.

"See this tattoo?" Callie pointed to a portrait of a young Latina girl on her left forearm. "This is my older sister, Evangeline. She was my best friend. She died when I was eleven. Cancer. I know it's not quite the same thing, but I do know what it's like to unfairly lose someone you love more than anything."

She didn't know what else to say. There really wasn't the right thing to say in these situations. When her sister died there was nothing in the world that anyone could say to make it okay. That was a totally different situation. Her family was prepared to let her sister go. They were able to say good byes and tell her they loved her. It didn't make it any easier to watch the life drain from her sister's eyes, but Arizona's loss was sudden and completely unexpected. She never got to say one last I love you or goodbye. He was dead in an instant.

"She's beautiful. Evangeline? Like your shop?"

"Exactly."

They continued to sit in silence. They took comfort in each other as they thought about the good memories with their lost siblings.

"Callie?"

"Yeah?"

"I really, _really_ like you too."

Callie beamed in spite of the situation. She gave Arizona one last squeeze. "Come on let's get some coffee and food. I'll have George move my appointments, so I can help you today. I don't know anything about baking, but I can paint walls like nobody's business. Maybe we can start to piece together what the fuck happened last night."

Arizona smiled and stood up. She was happy to let this go for now. She didn't like to sit and dwell on the sad stuff. She was surprised that she wasn't more embarrassed by her break down in front of Callie. She has never cried in front of anybody before, let alone sobbed like a bitch baby. Callie grabbed a tissue from her dresser and wiped the tears and make up off Arizona's face. Even tear stained and covered in day old make up, Arizona was the most beautiful woman Callie has ever seen. They both were aware of how intimate this moment was. They both knew that they had a lot to talk about, but for the first time in a long time they also had hope. They looked in each others eyes and smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for dumping that on you, Calliope."

_Calliope? _"How do you know my real name?"

"I actually have no idea..." and that was the truth. The name just fell out of her mouth.

"Hmm... Well, never ever apologize to me for having feelings. It will be okay, Mariposa. I promise." Callie grabbed Arizona's hand. She loved how they fit together perfectly. She led her towards the kitchen praying that Cristina wasn't home. She would never here the end of this.

They both stopped short at the scene in front of them and burst out laughing. Sprawled across the big living space were all their friends sleeping in various states of disarray. Lexie and April had somehow manage to squeeze themselves onto the couch together. Alex was slumped over in the reclining chair still holding a beer. Mark was flat out on his back spread eagle on the floor snoring like a bear with George's head using his leg as a pillow. Meredith and Cristina were missing. They were probably passed out in Cristina's room. Scattered around the room were empty bottles of beer, tequila, and whiskey. Alex and Mark seemed to be missing their shirts. There was no movement or sound besides Mark's snoring and Callie hoped everyone was still alive.

Arizona pointed at George, "is he wearing my shirt?"

_Seriously, what the hell happened last night?_

* * *

**A/N 2: **Guys, I am completely obsessed with this story. Obsessed! Don't worry folks, we will see what happened the night before in the next chapter. I just wanted to get some alone time in here for Callie and Arizona, since I'm like 5 chapters in and they haven't really talked alone before.

This might be the last update for a few days. My weekend is over and I actually have to be productive now. Booo! Haha.


	6. Chapter 6: Truth or dare?

I was kidding myself thinking I'd actually be able to stay away today. I decided this was more important than going to bed early last night. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Cristina's door burst open at the sound of their loud laughter. "Seriously? Shut up! It is way too early for you giggle twins to be outside my door waking me up." Cristina was pissed.

"It's your fault we drank the entire distillery last night. You and your dumb games. Payback's a bitch, Yang!" Mark yelled from the floor. The entire room groaned in unison and covered their ears at his booming voice.

"Dude, not so loud." Alex growled stretching out his arms and legs.

"I'm thinking we're going to need a few gallons of coffee." Callie headed towards the kitchen.

Arizona looked at the clock. It was already 800am. Even though everyone made fun of her for it, she has never been happier that she was a type a, over organized, over preparer. Because of that she barely had any work left to do at her bakery before her grand opening tomorrow. She went through her mental check list as she watched Callie prepare the coffee. _Dear lord, she even makes coffee look sexy._

Once the coffee was done, Callie set the pot on the breakfast bar with some mugs, cream, and sugar. Cristina grabbed the entire pot and started gulping it down. "Cristina that's hot! And it's for everybody!"

"Too late!" She wandered around the living room carrying around the coffee pot with two hands and poking bodies with her foot. "Wakey, wakey! If I'm up, you're up!"

"How about this," Arizona said, "I have an industrial sized coffee machine downstairs and the makings for blueberry muffins. The batter is already mixed up, so they'll just need about half an hour to bake."

"Sounds perfect. We don't open until noon, so there's plenty of time."

Arizona walked over to George, "Can I have my shirt back now please?" He took it off and handed it over. "Eww it smells like boy!"

"I'll get you something else to wear, hold on." Callie walked to her room in search of clothes for everyone. She pulled out a smaller band t-shirt for Arizona and three bigger ones Mark had left here for the boys. _I hope she likes the Eagles. Not sure we can date if she doesn't. Wait, are we dating? Maybe I should actually ask her out on a date, then I can say that._ She'd ask Cristina for something for Lexie, April, and Meredith to wear. Technically Cristina's clothes would probably work better for Arizona too, but she thought the blonde looked adorable in her own stuff.

Callie threw the three tshirts on Marks face and handed Arizona hers. "Here you go, bathroom is down the hall or you can use the one in my room to wash up and change."

"Thanks," she winked at Callie and walked back down the hall. She reappeared ten minutes later changed and face freshly washed. Callie couldn't help but stare. No make up Arizona was way more beautiful than made up Arizona.

"So, by the time you get these guys gathered up and hosed off, it should be ready. I'll see you down there." She leaned in and gave Callie a kiss on the cheek good bye and pulled back. They both froze in shock. _Oh my god, idiot! Why did you do that?_ It just felt like the most natural thing to do in the moment. Callie was looking at her with wide eyes. "Um... I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Callie gave her a heartwarming smile, "no, it's okay. I liked it." Arizona sighed in relief.

"Roller Girl! Muffins! Now please!"

"Cristina!"

"What? I'm hungry. I said please!" Cristina huffed off to her room to wake up Meredith and to find some clothes for the girls.

"Alex you want to come help me?"

"Sure, Boss!" Arizona rolled her eyes. No matter how many time she begged Alex to call her by her name, he still called her Boss.

"You better go before she comes back. See you in a bit," Callie kissed Arizona on the cheek, "bye Mariposa."

Arizona blushed a deep pink. "Bye Calliope," she whispered. When the door closed behind them, she let out a deep breath.

Alex laughed at her, "You got it so bad, Boss!"

"Shut up." She playfully punched him on the arm. "Let's go feed the monsters."

Alex smiled at her retreating form. He loved seeing Arizona this way. He sent up a silent prayer to Tim, _please let this be the happiness that she deserves_.

Exactly thirty minutes later everyone came bursting through the front doors of Awesome Bakery. Callie, Mark, Cristina, Meredith, and George stopped short and gaped around the room in awe. This was the first time they have been in the front of the bakery. "Amazing, right? Arizona did it." Lexie told them.

"Well, Lexie helped," Arizona said coming up from the kitchen.

"It's definitely not what I was expecting," Cristina laughed.

"What were you expecting then?"

"I was thinking more of Barbie's bubblegum bakery, like the outside. All pink and fluffy, with rainbows and clouds everywhere. Basically my worst nightmare. This, I can deal with. I could hang out here."

"Gee thanks, Cristina. I'll take that as a compliment."

"You really should, that's the closest to being nice as she gets." Callie told her. "Really guys, it looks amazing!"

Lexie and Arizona beamed at the compliment. They spent many long hours together on this place and they were proud of their work. They had painted a mural of a meadow on the wall with the most open space. It had flowing long green grasses, with blue, lavender, and white flowers scattered about. There was a weeping willow off to the right side and a few small butterflies flying around. The deep blue of the sky continued along the ceiling and onto the rest of the bakery's walls. There were light wood tables and chairs in the middle of the room and big cushioned couches off to the sides. It had a very homey feel. Directly across from the doors was an all glass display case that dominated the space. Arizona couldn't wait to see what it looked like filled up. _Only one more day, I can't believe it._

Alex joined them carrying a tray of muffins and coffee. The new friends sat around the tables munching on the muffins and chatting about the previous nights antics. After getting coffee and food in them the fuzziness wore off and they were able to recall mostly everything.

Callie and Arizona remembered the dancing and teasing from last night. They looked into each others eyes with goofy grins on their faces. Cristina saw the way they were looking at each other and shouted, "Everyone take a shot!"

Callie and Arizona looked around confused as the others burst into laughter and downed the rest of their coffees in one big gulp, slamming their mugs down on the tables.

_What the hell?_

* * *

**The previous night…**

_Game on._

Callie and Arizona were at a stalemate. Neither knew what to do with this new information or how to make the first move. "Go ask her to dance." Mark whispered making Callie spill her drink.

"No way. Uh uh."

"Why the hell not, Torres?"

"Don't wanna."

"Bull shit."

"No, Mark." Callie downed the rest of her Jack and coke. Mark handed her another one and she wasted no time making it disappear too. "I already asked her earlier and she made a lame excuse not to."

"Women are impossible!"

"True that!" They clinked two shot glasses together and downed them.

Callie looked back towards Arizona's seat and found it empty. _Where did she-_ "Hey, I'll take that dance now," came a sexy whisper in Callie's ear. She didn't need to look to know who it was. White heat spread from her ear straight down to her panties.

"Absolutely!" She stood up, using Arizona's shoulder to steady herself. "Hi." Callie was starting to feel a little bit tipsy already. "You're pretty." Arizona laughed and put her hand on Callie's lower back to lead her to the dance floor, making sure she touched the small amount of skin that was peeking out between her shirt and pants. She looked over her shoulder and winked at Mark.

Cristina watched them stumble toward the dance floor. "Dude! I just got the best idea!" She yelled towards the bar, "Yo Joe! We're going to need like 40 shots at our table! And keep them coming. Put them on Evangeline's tab. Actually, just give me some shot glasses and some bottles of tequila!"

Joe brought the drinks over and looked at Mark with his hand out. "Give me the keys to the shop first." He could tell it was going to be one of those nights. Mark handed them over, no questions asked.

"Why did he want the keys to the shop?" Lexie asked confused.

"One time, after a fabulous night of drunken debauchery, Sloan ended up with a tattoo of Callie's lips on his ass. It was freakin' hilarious. Bambi did manage to stop Meredith from giving him a Prince Albert. Such a party pooper. Anyways, since then we give the keys to Joe." Cristina said as she started pouring everyone shots.

"Bambi?" She swears these people have their own language.

"George. Keep up Cupcake Girl!" Cristina handed everyone a shot glass. "Okay we're playing a new drinking game I just invented. Every time Blondie and Cal give each other sex eyes, we take a shot. Oh look! Everyone take a shot!"

"What? That's mean! I'm not doing it." Lexie said.

"What's wrong? Can't hold your liquor? Baby!"

"Fine!" Lexie took her shot and then another one and wiped her mouth. "Oh wow that burns."

"That a girl! You can hang with me!"

"You'll learn to never argue with Cristina when it comes to drinking." Meredith told them.

"Damn straight!"

There was a fast song playing when they reached to the dance floor. Arizona stood at a respectable distance from Callie and started to randomly bounce around. Callie laughed and grabbed the blonde by the waist to pull her in closer. She guided Arizona's arms to her shoulders and put her hands back on her waist. Due to their height difference, she had to lean down close to Arizona's ear, so she could be heard over the loud music. "You're a horrible dancer." The brunette's smoky voice and her lips so close to her skin made Arizona's breath hitch. She looked up to see Callie smiling at her.

"Wow, you really know how to flatter a girl. Does insulting them usually work for you?"

"Sometimes." Callie grinned wider.

"Well I am not one of those girls."

Callie's face turned mischievous, "what kind of girl are you, Arizona?" she husked.

The way Callie's voice oozed sex was making it very hard for Arizona to think, let alone form coherent sentences. "Uh... I... Um..."

Callie laughed, "How about if I tell you you're the most beautiful woman in this room and I can't take me eyes off of you? "

Arizona blushed, "I'd say you're a cheeseball."

"I can't win with you, can I?"

"Nope, it's best you learn that sooner rather than later."

The music slowed down. Callie slowly moved her right hand from Arizona's waist to the base of her spine and pulled her in tighter, leaving a hot trail. The blonde swayed awkwardly. "Arizona you new to relax. Just follow my lead."

"I am relaxed! My body doesn't move all sexy like yours. It's physically impossible." Arizona hadn't meant to call Callie sexy, but it was true.

"Let's try this." Callie spun Arizona around so the blonde's back was against her front. She grabbed her hands and rested both of their arms at Arizona's hips. "Close your eyes. Just feel the music." Callie rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder and swayed her to the slow beat of the music. "See, it's easy." She inhaled the scent of Arizona. Oranges and vanilla. Delicious. Callie could stay like this for the rest of her life and die happy.

Arizona sighed contentedly. She felt like they were the only people in the bar. She hasn't felt this at peace in... she can't remember ever feeling like this. The song ended and the beat picked up again. They continued to sway slowly together. Arizona felt the faintest of kisses moving leisurely along her shoulder, moving towards the base of her neck. Callie's full lips were sending shivers down her body. When the lips reached her neck, her legs turned to jelly. Callie held on to her tighter. Arizona decided she needed to feel those lips on her lips. She turned in Callie's arms so they were back to facing each other. The desire in those deep brown eyes set her body on fire. She knew her eyes mirrored them. Arizona licked her lips as she looked up at the full red lips she was aching to kiss. Callie started to lean in, while Arizona moved in about to meet her halfway. "What's up bitches!" Callie and Arizona jumped apart. "You owe us like 5 shots! We kind of lost track. Hey Blondie, your friends know how to have a good time! You guys can come out with us anytime you want!"

"Cristina, I'm going to fucking kill you," Callie growled.

"I love you too, Calllippeepee Imavagina Toressss. I know I don't tell you that enough." Cristina was definitely drunk. "Hey did you know Mer has a sister now?"

"What?" "Calllipeepee?" Callie and Arizona said at the same time.

"She meant Calliope. My given name. Don't ever use it. Now what about Mer's sister?"

"I don't know. I think I'm drunk. Now go!" Cristina pushed the two women back towards the table. "Let's go do those shots! Woo!"

Callie looked at Arizona apologetically and grabbed her hand. "Let's go see what she's babbling on about." When they got to the table, Cristina already had their shots lined up and ready to go. She also poured some for Alex, Mark, and herself. The rest of the girls were missing.

"Where is everybody else?" Arizona asked. She didn't remember seeing them dancing, though she hadn't really been paying attention to people around her. She was 100% focused on the hot Latina currently standing very close to her making her body heat rise to whole new levels. She took a step away before she passed out.

Mark pointed at the bar with weird smile on his face. He had been watching Lexie, April, Meredith, and George dance on the bar for the last 20 minutes. Well, he mostly had been watching Lexie's ass dancing on the bar.

"Stop perving Sloan! Okay Blondie, this is a race. We need to make sure you can pull your weight in this group so you can roll with us." Cristina burst out laughing, "Roll! Get it? She rolls around on those shoes. I'm hilarious when I'm drunk. What am I saying; I'm damn hilarious all of the time."

"Why do we owe you these shots again?"

"Because of all the eye sex!"

"Ooookay?" Callie didn't really want to question an intoxicated Cristina. It never ended well.

"Alright muff munchers," Cristina paused and looked around the table, "let's do this! First one to finish all their shots wins. Simple. Can you handle that Roller Girl?" Cristina slurred pointing at Arizona.

Arizona narrowed her eyes at her, "bring it!"

"Okay 1... 2... 3... Drink!"

Arizona had all of hers finished before the rest of them finished their third. She threw her arms in the air, "Booyah! Take that Yang!" She swayed into Callie slightly.

Cristina was actually very impressed, "Welcome to Joes!" She tried to pat Arizona on the back, but missed her completely.

Callie grinned at Arizona, "That was hot… and also very surprising."

"I'm full of surprises, Calliope." Arizona said in a low sultry voice, her eyes trailing down Callie's figure.

Callie couldn't stand it anymore. "You want to get out of here? My place is right upstairs from my shop."

"Sure. I'd love too." Arizona wasn't sure if this was the best idea, but she knew she has never wanted anything more in her life at this point.

Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and kissed her palm, "Okay let's go." She turned to the group, "Hey Cris, we're going to head home."

"Great idea, Cal!" She started to gather everybody. "Hey guys, we're continuing this party at our place!"

Cristina Yang was fast becoming the biggest cock blocker ever and Callie was not happy. "What? No, no, no that's not what I meant!"

Cristina ignored her. "We've got enough booze for everyone right? Better get some from Joe just in case. Meet you back at our place." She stumbled off towards the bar before receiving an answer.

"Our place?" Arizona asked.

"Yeah we're roommates. Biggest fucking mistake of my life."

The nine of them managed to make it to the apartment in one piece. Yelling and pushing each other the whole way. Callie and Arizona walked hand in hand at the back of the group laughing at their friends antics. As much as they wished they were walking back alone, they both were happy they had these people in their lives. They were a family (a slightly dysfunctional one) and it seemed as if each of their families were growing now. Who knew a bunch of pastry and tattoo artists would get along so well? It sort of made sense. In the end they were all simply artists trying to make this world a more beautiful place.

Arizona looked around the apartment surprised by how big it was. It had been decorated in dark grays, reds, blacks, and some white to lighten it up a little. She could tell a lot of money and work went into the massive kitchen. All stainless steel and dark granite. Art covered all the walls. In a way you could tell exactly who lived here. It matched both Callie's and Cristina's personalities. She couldn't help hoping she'd be spending a lot of time here in the near and far future. She found Callie in the kitchen pulling beer out of the fridge and hugged her from behind. "So, where's your room?" She asked quietly, placing a feather soft kiss on the back of her neck.

Callie shivered , "Come on I'll show you." She grabbed the smaller woman's hand and started to lead her down the hallway, but was cut off by Cristina stumbling out of her bedroom, followed by all of her crap spilling out of it. "Cristina! Pick up your shit! And move!"

"I'm sort of busy right now! Jeeze, where's the fire?" She saw Arizona standing slightly behind Callie and looked at their tangled hands. "Oh, fire in your panties?"

"If you don't move, I'm kicking you out!" She gave her the best version of what Mark called her Torres glare. Seriously it made men cry. Of course it didn't even faze Cristina.

"You'd miss me too much. Besides you can't go pearl diving right now, we're playing a game!" She grabbed their hands, pulled them into the living room, and shoved them on to the couch. She was surprisingly strong for a petite plastered woman.

"Fine, what are we playing?" _I just need to get this over with and then I can get Arizona in private._

"Truth or dare!"

"Are you freakin' kidding me? Are we in high school? That is not happening!"

"Got any better ideas?"

Callie scrambled to think of something, anything, they could play that would both appease Cristina and be really short. Between the alcohol and the super hot blonde sitting next to her, she could barely remember her own name, let alone come up with a game. "Okay, fine!"

Cristina clapped her hands together, "Yes! Okay if you don't want to answer your question or do your dare, then you have to drink two shots. Roller Girl, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" Arizona she loved this game.

"Make out with Georgie!" Cristina thought she was so funny.

Arizona immediately took two shots and turned to Lexie, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare, I guess." She trusted Arizona to not totally embarrass her.

"Sit in Mark's lap for the rest of the game." Arizona saw the way they were watching each other at the bar and decided to do something about it.

Lexie and Mark glanced at each other both secretly pleased. She walked over to him and sat carefully on his lap. He took the chance to wrap his arms around her and pulled her in tighter. _Thank you Arizona Robbins! _Deciding to try and return the favor, Lexie looked at Callie, "Truth or Dare?" She was hoping she picked dare.

Callie sighed, "Truth." _I cannot believe I got roped into this!_

_Crap. _"Okay, would you rather give or receive?" _Woah where did that come from?_

Callie turned to look Arizona in the eyes and grinned wickedly, "Give, definitely." She watched the color drain from the blonde's faced and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Receiving is great too." She pulled back nonchalantly and looked at Mark, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare?" He really wasn't sure if he could trust his best friend right now. He saw what she just did to Arizona. The poor girl doesn't stand a chance.

"Take your shirt off." _You're welcome Lexie!_ Mark immediately discarded his shirt and threw it across the room.

"Lame!" Cristina yelled. "You just missed a perfectly good opportunity to make an ass out of Sloan and you blew it! How are we friends?"

"I've been asking myself that a lot tonight, Yang!" Callie snapped back.

Mark could see where this was going and tried to get them back on track, "Blondie! Truth or dare?" He laughed when she jumped out of the trance she was still in from whatever Callie said to her.

"What? I already went!"

"Truth or dare!"

"Fine! Truth!"

"What's the best sex you ever had?"

Arizona smirked at him. She knew this was a perfect chance to get Callie back. She looked over at the brunette, who was currently sipping from a beer bottle. "I don't know, ask me again tomorrow." Callie glanced over and saw the lust in Arizona's eyes. She choked on her drink, spitting it all over herself. Arizona laughed so hard she fell off the couch. _Wow, need to cool it on the drinks._ When she got herself under control, she looked to April, "Truth or Dare?"

They played back and forth like this for over an hour. Each drinking more, since the dares got crazier. They rather take drinks then make fools of themselves in front of their new friends. Maybe next time. By the end of the night Cristina had lost her pants, Alex had sucked on Meredith's toes, George and Arizona had switched shirts, April had run outside topless, and they had learned way more about each others sex life's than they ever wanted to know.

Callie wouldn't tell Cristina, but she ended up having a lot of fun. Cristina and Meredith already disappeared into Cristina's bedroom, Alex was snoring in the chair, and Mark, Lexie, George, and April were in the kitchen trying to find something to eat.

"Can I show you my room now?" Callie asked the blonde next to her, who was struggling to sit up.

"Yes, please." Arizona tried to stand up, but failed. Callie scooped her into her arms, wobbling a little from the alcohol. She took her to her room and gently set her on the bed.

"Goodnight, Arizona." She turned to go in her bathroom. She was in desperate need of a cold shower from all the teasing her and Arizona did tonight.

"Where are you going? Come back. I miss you." Arizona's voice was so quiet and vulnerable. She didn't have the heart to say no.

"I was just turning off the light." She flipped it off and crawled into bed, not bothering to change. "Eww, you smell like George."

Arizona laughed and took George's shirt off, leaving her in only her bra. "Better?"

"Much!" Callie snuggled into Arizona from behind_. I can definitely get used to this_, they both thought. Callie kissed the blonde's head, "Is this okay?"

Arizona could only nod. She was struggling to stay awake, since she has been up for almost 24 hours. She wanted so badly to stay awake to finally get her alone time with Callie, but it just wasn't going to happen tonight.

_There's always tomorrow. _

* * *

Notey note dos: I wanted to take a sec and thank you guys for the reviews! I've been wanting to respond to them, but it's a pain in the ass on my phone. I'll take the time when I get more than 20 minutes on a computer and do that, because I really appreciate them! They definitely help keep me going.


	7. Chapter 7: I'm going to woo her

**Note:** Oh em gee you guys! You have no idea what I went through to post this chapter. I was about halfway done when the writing app I use crashed. I'm a dumbass and hadn't saved in awhile, so I lost a lot of it. No all of it, since I had saved at one point, but a lot. So I downloaded a new app with autosave and started again. I apologize if this chapter seems rambly and half-assed, especially towards the end. It's also a long one. Phew! Happy reading!

* * *

"Alright team, we should really get busy." Arizona started to clean up.

"Here, I'll help you." Callie stood up and started to gather the coffee mugs and muffin wrappers.

"You don't have to do that. That's what these guys are paid for." She looked around at her crew. They got the hint and jumped up ready to work. Arizona sat back down to watch her little worker bees.

"George did you call my appointments to reschedule?" Callie asked.

"I haven't had a chance yet. I'll go over and do that now.

"Thanks George. Cristina go with him and check the supply order."

"No way! I'm not scheduled until noon."

"I don't care, go do it!" Callie was still pissed at her from last night.

"Fine, Madame President."

Callie rolled her eyes, "Mark please go with her and make sure she doesn't screw it up. Mer, go do whatever it is you do."

They all left, leaving Arizona and Callie alone at the table. "It's great being the boss sometimes, isn't it?"

Arizona laughed, "It sure is."

"So does the boss of this joint get time off?"

"She does! We're closed on Mondays, so we all get a day off."

Callie had already known the answer, she had checked the hours on the door before they came in. "What a coincidence! We're closed Mondays too." Callie stalled for a minute. "Would you like to go somewhere with me Monday morning? I'd like to show you something," she asked nervously.

"I would love to go somewhere with you." Arizona tried to keep her voice neutral. She didn't want to show Callie how excited she was. _Be cool, Robbins, be cool. Don't be a dweeb._

"Great, it's a date!" Callie couldn't help the huge smile that spread across her face.

"Date?" Arizona teased.

Callie's face instantly fell. "Well, yeah. I meant it to be a date. I mean we could go as just friends, if you want to just do that. I'd still like to show you. I'm good with friends..." She was rambling and she knew it.

"Calliope! I was joking. Of course it's a date."

"You suck at jokes."

"There you go insulting me again!"

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Why not? It is your name, isn't it?"

"Only my sister really called me that. I haven't heard it much since she passed away," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'll stop if it makes you sad."

"No it makes me happy. You make me happy," Callie smiled.

Arizona matched her smile, "You make me happy too, Calliope."

Callie shifted in her seat. She was nervous about her next question. "Why haven't you had your back finished? I mean, it's been a few years?"

Arizona didn't really know how to answer that. It was her brother's art and only his. It seemed obvious to her why. How could anyone else finish it? "There's no one else I trust enough to do it."

"I could do it, if you want."

"No thank you, it's fine the way it is." Arizona snapped.

"Okay, I'm sorry I asked. It's just so amazing and should be complete. I can show you samples of my stuff. I really think-"

"Drop it Callie!" Arizona was getting angry now. _It's none of her business. It's nobody's business!_

Callie watched Arizona chew her nails and stare at the floor. She tried to think of a safer topic of conversation. "Do you still want my help today?" Callie asked hopefully. She really wanted to spend the day with Arizona.

"No actually, I have these guys and there isn't much left to do."

Callie was disappointed. She knew she had struck a nerve with her stupid big mouth. That's what she did best. Talks before she thinks. "Okay, I guess I'll go stop George from canceling all of my appointments. Will I see you tonight at the bar?"

"I need to get to bed early. Big day tomorrow."

"Right. I'll make sure to come by to see your big opening. I'm excited for you! It will be great." Callie tried to bring the smile back to Arizona's face. It was like she was in a whole other world. The blonde just looked at her blankly. "Okay, I'll leave you alone." Callie went to leave to go back to her apartment. She could really use some more sleep before work. She made it to the door and turned around, "Hey Arizona?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we still on for Monday?" She held her breath as she waited for an answer.

Arizona thought for a minute and then gave her a sad smile, "Of course, Calliope."

Callie released her breath, smiled sadly back, and left. She went next door before heading upstairs. "Hey George, did you cancel my appointments?"

"Just your first one. There are still two I couldn't get a hold of. It's still pretty early."

"Okay, don't worry about it. I'll do them. Text me the times." She left to get go home before Mark saw her. She didn't feel like talking to him.

Back in her apartment, she looked around her trashed living room. She decided to ignore it for now and headed for her shower. Not screwing up her clients tattoos due to lack of sleep was much more important than a clean living room. After she was freshly showered, Callie crawled into bed. She rolled over to the side Arizona had slept on last night. The pillow she used still smelled like her. She wasn't sure where she stood with the blonde. They were flirty last night and she thought they had shared a special moment this morning. The way Arizona had shut down so fast earlier had her worried, but then again she did agree to go with her on Monday.

Callie was taking her to one of her favorite places. It's funny, she's known Arizona for two days and she already knew she had to share it with her. She knew the blonde would understand. She took Mark and Cristina once, but they didn't really get it. Mark tried and Cristina just left disgusted. She has never taken any of the girls she's dated. It was to special and close to her heart. Not that she's ever really dated anyone for too long. Hell, she dated Erica for a year and never took her.

_Ugh, Erica. That was a hot mess. _She found her in the bar one night and took her home. She never left. Erica had never been in a relationship with a woman before Callie, but Callie didn't care. Everbody's different. She thought it was love. She knows now that she was just desperate for attention. Things were great at first. Erica was a doctor and treated Callie like a queen. Someone she hoped her father would finally approve of. After a few months of dating, Erica started getting really jealous and controlling. She wouldn't let Callie go out with her friends without Erica along to babysit. She would start fights with any woman that glanced Callie's way. It got so bad that Callie stopped going out. She'd leave to go to work and go right back home. About six months into the relationship Erica started to strike Callie down emotionally. She started making fun of her profession and tried to pressure her into doing something 'more grown up'. Erica wouldn't take her out often and when she did, she made Callie cover most of her body art up. She didn't want her colleagues to see them together and think she was a lesbian. Even though she knew it wasn't her fault, Callie was still embarrassed she let it happen and wouldn't talk to anybody about it. Erica made Callie believe nobody else would want or love her, so Callie stayed. In a way she knew Erica was right. All of her other short term relationships ended in disaster. Callie is stubborn as hell and that was her first serious relationship. She was determined to make it work. Her friends could tell she was miserable, but nothing they said got through to her.

It all finally ended one night when she came home to find Erica in their bed with their old shop bitch, Percy. Callie was both devastated and relieved. She had been freed, but left emotionally raw. She hasn't been herself since. Callie lost herself in meaningless sex, alcohol, and tattooing. That was until she went for coffee the other day and looked up to see that awful pink building. She was nowhere near being herself again, but she can finally feel herself coming back. It felt good. It's amazing how fast life can change.

Her relationship with Erica was way too much way too fast. It was doomed from the start. She was going to do everything different with Arizona. She wanted to do all the cheesy stuff from the movies. _I'm going to woo her damn it! That's right, I said woo!_Callie laughed at herself and jumped out of bed to grab her computer. After she made her purchase, she was finally able to go to sleep.

* * *

"Is there an Arizona Robbins here?" she heard a man's voice she didn't recognize ask. She looked up to see a short stubby man carrying the largest bouquet of flowers she has ever seen.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Hear, sign this." She signed it and he hurried off. He obviously had more important things to do. She turned to look at the bouquet. It was almost as big as her. She pulled off the card and read it.

_Arizona,_

_Mr. Google told me that if you want to attract butterflies, plant these flowers in your garden. I don't have a garden, but I do plan on putting them all over my apartment, so I can attract the most beautiful one of all, you. Good luck on your grand opening. You are amazing._

_Callie xo_

_PS. How it's that for cheeseball? ;)_

Arizona laughed out loud at Callie's note. It _was_ totally cheesy and she loved it. That woman continued to amaze her. Even though she had been completely unfair to Callie earlier, she still goes and does something this. She has only received flowers one other time and they were from her parents on her sixteenth birthday. Her ex-girlfriend, Lizzy, thought stuff like that was a waste. Arizona found that out the hard way when she brought home a dozen roses on their first anniversary. Lizzy spent fifteen long minutes lecturing her on saving money and not spending it on 'useless crap'. They were still dating two years later when Arizona witnessed her brother brutally taken away from her. Arizona fell into a fast downward spiral and had tried to lean on Lizzy for support. After two months Lizzy packed up her stuff, told Arizona to get her act together, and to call her when she's normal again. Arizona was devastated, not only did she lose her brother, she also lost who she thought (at the time) was the love of her life. She knew now that wasn't the case. She was young and stupid. It was comfortable and the sex was decent. Lizzy leaving her did end up being what she needed to seek out professional help. With that she learned to accept it wasn't her fault and how to live life without her brother by her side. Something she never thought she would have to do. Arizona learned to look in the right places for support. She found some small comfort in her friends, who loved her through all her many ups and downs. They didn't really know what to do with her most of the time. They tried though and didn't abandon her, no matter how hard she tried to push them away. She has had a lot less downs lately, since she's been focusing so much on her bakery. Her nightmares haven't completely gone away and she finds herself sobbing uncontrollably if she's alone for extended periods of time. Arizona wasn't sure if she would ever be 100% herself again, but she finally wants to try. Hopefully it's not impossible. _I wish I had known Callie back then, she would have helped._

"Oooh pretty!" April said, snapping Arizona out of her trip down memory lane. "Who are they from?"

"Calliope," Arizona said with the brightest smile.

"Who?"

"Callie, sorry. I'm going to go next door to thank her. Can you put these in water for me and arrange them on the counter?" Arizona checked the clock and saw that it was already one. She walked into Evangeline's and found Mark sitting at the front counter, flirting with a bimbo redhead who barely looked old enough to be in here. "Hey, Mark! Is Callie around?"

"No, she doesn't have a client until five. She went upstairs to get some sleep."

Arizona tried and failed to hide the disappointment from her face. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Mark. "Can I leave her a note?"

"Sure, her station is right over there, feel free to leave it there. She'll get it."

Arizona walked over to where he was pointing and looked around. Even though it was a very clean and sterile environment, it didn't feel all stuffy and boring. _Jeeze you could probably do surgery in here_. The walls were painted black, but since there was so much art covering the space, it was hard to tell. There were six identical looking work stations. Three along one wall and three along the other. Each station had its own drawing table, various spray bottles, a big mirror on the wall, a chair mounted to the floor, and what looked like a rolling tool chest. Each artist had taken the time to personalize their area with art, pictures, and knick knacks.

Arizona's mind was flooded with memories of hanging out at the shop her brother worked out of. _He was such a good big brother, letting his annoying little sister follow him wherever he went. _She sat down in the chair and took in Callie's workstation. Her mirror was framed in sketches of skeletons, cats, trees, old buildings, and portraits of people she didn't know. There was a photo of the same young Latina that graced Callie's arm. There were photos of an older couple and another Latina who looked a lot like Callie, but without the warmth and depth of her eyes. She recognized Mark, Cristina, Meredith, and George in other photos. Above the mirror were large beautiful paintings on canvas, one of them being an exact replica of the tattoo of Evangeline on Callie's arm. Another had white calla lilies on a black background that really made the flower pop. The other was a skeleton of a cat against a dark maroon background. _Well, thats a bit morbid. Beautiful though_. She squinted to see the signature on them. _Callie I. Torres. Of course. _Arizona was blown away by Callie's talent. _Not that I should be surprised. I have already established that she's amazing._ Arizona felt like she had just learned a lot about Calliope Torres.

Mark had been watching Arizona look around. Her face shifted from sadness to happy to awe many times. He walked over and noticed her staring up at Eva. "Beautiful, wasn't she?" Arizona jumped at the sudden voice.

"Yeah, she really was."

"You know, Callie did that tattoo on herself."

"Really?" Arizona was impressed. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Callie can do the impossible. She just has forgotten that lately."

_I wonder if she's up to the impossible task of putting me back together. _ "Why?"

"That's her story to tell. Did you find something to leave a note on?"

"Oh right!" Arizona grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen and scribbled out a quick message. She used a piece of tape to tape it to the mirror and stood up. "Thanks Mark, see you later."

"No problem." He paused, "Please don't hurt my sister." There looked at each other for a minute, a silent conversation flowing between.

"Never." Arizona promised and left.

When she got back, she found her team in the kitchen working. "Alex! How are the mixes coming?"

"Great, Boss! Almost done."

"How are you doing?" She looked at Lexie.

"Good. I have all the buttercreams and filings ready to go for the morning. All the gum paste and fondant decorations are made. I even made some chocolate molds. I'll make the ganache and other icings tomorrow."

"Good, good. And April?"

"Since we will be at maximum volume tomorrow, I made a flow chart and check list to make sure the day goes smoothly." She handed Arizona a clipboard. "If we follow this step by step and plug in the numbers as we go there is no way we will run out of product and will have zero to minimum waste at the end of the day."

Arizona looked down at the clipboard a little annoyed. She has been doing this practically her whole life; she didn't need a stupid chart and checklist to know how to run her business. After looking it over she realized it was actually pretty good. "I knew I stole you for a reason!" Arizona praised. "You guys ready for this?"

They all nodded. "Are YOU ready for this?" Alex asked knowing exactly how important this day was to Arizona.

"I hope so!" She laughed. "No really guys, I really appreciate the hardwork you've put into my dream." _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!_ She looked back at her team. "I'm going to hug you guys now!" Arizona gave each of her crew members a hug. Even Alex let her hug him, even though he pretended to hate it.

"April, you just need to go pick up the balloons. Lexie, finish prepping the pastries for the morning. Alex finish the cake and cookie batters. When all that's done, you guys can go home. I need to work on something special. Remember, be here before the sun rises!" Everyone groaned. "We have to be ready to open by seven. No bar hopping tonight! We have to be our best. I want to show this town we're the best!" Judging from the response from her invites, advertising, and going around town talking to people, she was expecting a huge turnout. They were giving away her products for free and people don't turn down free food. She figured this was the best way to get people into her bakery to try her goods. She knew once they did, they would be hooked.

* * *

Callie whistled as she strolled casually threw the backdoor of her shop. She was feeling better than she has been in months. She finally got some good sleep, she was going to get to do a rad tattoo on her next client, and she was excited about her plans for Arizona. Yes, Callie Torres was coming back!

Mark and Cristina were sitting in the office when Callie came in. "What's up with her?" Cristina asked.

"No idea."

"Is she a pod person?"

"Maybe she got laid?"

"Guys, I'm right here. I can hear you." Callie wasn't going to let these two fools ruin her good mood.

"No, I have lived with her long enough to know her 'I just got laid face' and that is not it."

"Guys!"

"Maybe she's high. Cal, are you holding out on me? Come on we're roomies. What's yours is mine. What's mine is still mine."

"I am not high, I did not have sex, and I am not a pod person!" Callie laughed. Laughing? Cristina and Mark were really scared now.

"Who are you and what have you done with my bitchy best friend?"

"Shut up, Mark." She hit him playfully. "I'm just having a good day."

"It's good to see you again Cal-Cals." Mark didn't know what was happening, but he didn't care as long as it worked.

"It is," Callie smiled.

Cristina rolled her eyes and continued to type away on her laptop. She was also happy to see Callie like this, but chose to keep that info to herself.

"Blondie was here earlier looking for you." Mark suddenly remembered.

"She was? Why didn't you tell me or come get me or call me or text me?"

"Calm down, she left you a note at your station."

Callie ran out of the room to find a note taped onto her mirror.

_Calliope,_

_Make sure to come by tomorrow for a special treat._

_Arizona_

_PS. Thank you for the flowers ;)_

Mark watched as Callie's smile grew so big it lit up the whole room. _Thank you whatever lesbian god is up there for bringing Blondie and her ugly pink bakery into our lives._

Callie rushed next door to find that everyone had already left for the day. _Shit I don't even have her phone number or address. Guess I'll just see her tomorrow._ She sighed and headed back to work.

* * *

_This is it. Today is the day. I can do this_. Arizona was once again standing outside her bakery before sunrise. She yawned widely. _I should have opened a bar._ She felt Lexie walk up next to her. Alex had gone in at three to start putting stuff in the oven and April would be coming in a few hours. "Are we going to go in?" Lexie asked.

"Yeah, I need a minute." They stood in silence for ten more minutes. "Okay, let's do this."

When they opened the door they were hit with the smell of freshly baked pastries. It was one of the best smells in the world and it instantly calmed Arizona's nerves. She noticed Alex already had a rack of croissants, danishes, cinnamon twists, and bear claws cooling. Lexie started to pull off the twists to frost them. There were two racks of bagels in the proofer and one in the walk in oven. She checked the muffins Alex was pulling out of the other oven and then added some crumb topping to the next batch going in. _Perfect._ They were doing the breakfast foods first and then would start cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. She set about portioning cake batter into individual cupcake cups. The three pastry chefs worked at a constant pace in a comfortable silence. The only music was the whirring of the stand mixers and the occasional timer going off. This is what they were used too. This was their home.

Two and a half hours later April came bursting through the back door, making the three jump, "Oh my god! Come here!"

"April you scared the crap out of me! You made me get frosting on the floor!" Arizona and Lexie were working on frosting hundreds of mini cupcakes and the sudden noise made her drop her pastry bag on the floor, ruining what was left in it.

"I'm sorry, I was just excited."

"About what?" Alex was annoyed by April's high pitched voice so early in the morning.

"Just come on. Follow me."

They followed her threw the alley way between Awesome Bakery and Evangeline's. "Holy shit!" Alex yelled surprised. Arizona stood shocked. There had to be about 100 people lined up along the street starting in front of the bakery and they still had thirty minutes until opening. "What does your chart say to do now?" Alex laughed at April's anxiety filled face.

"Let's go team!" Arizona led her crew back to the kitchen. April made the coffee and started to fill the display case. Alex scrambled to start more dough, while Arizona and Lexie doubled their pace on frosting and decorating the cupcakes.

Thirty minutes later the four stood side by side proudly looking at their hard work in the large and, for the first time, full display case. Arizona looked around at her crew. She had purchased new white chef jackets for Lexie, Alex, and herself and some nice pink polos for April. She had the bakery logo and their names embroidered on the front. She couldn't help but notice how good they all looked together.

"Yo Roller Girl," Cristina pounded on the glass door, "it's opening time! I'm cold and and hungry! Let us in!"

The bakery crew turned around to see the entire staff of Evangeline's grinning at them from the front of the line. Arizona hurried to unlock the door and gave them her best dimpled smile. "What are you guys doing here already! I know it's way too early for you guys to be awake."

"We're here to support you." Callie said matter-of-factly.

"Callie blackmailed us into coming." Cristina told her.

"I did not! They wanted to come, right?"

"Yes." They chorused.

"How long have you been waiting out here? I saw the line half hour ago and it was huge. I didn't even notice you guys out here."

"We paid some kid from the bar to hold our spot. We just got here."

"Ah. Sounds about right." Arizona laughed.

"Ugh you're even perky at the butt crack of dawn. Can we get a move on here? Food. Mouth. Stomach. Now." Cristina could feel Callie glaring at her. "Please! Look at all these people! It's not like I'm the only one waiting."

"Come on in! Welcome to Awesome Bakery!" Arizona had the proudest smile on her face as she rolled around and greeted the people now filling the space. Callie couldn't stop the butterflies from taking over her stomach. She also couldn't take her eyes off of Arizona who looked adorable in her chef jacket and french braids. She was obviously in her element in her bakery while directing traffic and her employees. In charge Arizona was super hot.

"Cal, close your mouth and stop staring. You're holding up the line."

"My bad." There was no use denying it, she was definitely staring. She refocused her attention on the display case. Everything looked too perfect to eat. It almost looked like a picture out of a fancy magazine.

"I'll have an almond croissant, a strawberry white chocolate muffin, a cheese danish, a parmasean bagel, a snicker doodle, a cinnamon twist, and-" Cristina was interrupted by April.

"You do know it's one free item per guest, right? Anything beyond that you have to pay for."

"I will have the almond croissant and a coffee. Put the rest of that in Callie's bag." April looked at Callie to make sure it was okay. The Latina sighed and nodded. Cristina was not about to part from her hard earned cash. She was promised free food for dragging her ass up this early and she was going to get it.

"I have something for you in the back, hold on." Arizona whispered in Callie's ear and skated off towards the kitchen. She came back with a little pink to-go box with a brown ribbon tied around it. "Here, open it later."

"Thank you. You look hot in that uniform by the way." Callie said softly.

Arizona's cheeks reddened. "Thanks?" She didn't know how else to respond.

"You're welcome. Everything looks great. As much as I would like to stand here all day and talk to you, you should probably tend to all these hungry people. People in this town can get nasty when they don't get their food. Just look at Cristina."

"Hey I heard that. Can we go now? We showed our faces, you drooled over Roller Girl, we got our food. Mission accomplished."

"Yes, we can go now."

"Yes!" Cristina said through a mouthful of her muffin. "How are you not fat?"

Arizona chuckled, "Good genes, I guess."

"We'll leave you alone now. Maybe I'll stop by again later and see how's it's going."

"I'd love that, Calliope. Enjoy your treat." Arizona watched them go. She was honored that they came. She turned back to the crowd. _Here goes nothing._

When Callie got back to her apartment, she put the little pink box on her kitchen counter and started a pot of coffee. She was happy her flowers seemed to have worked on the blonde, since she seemed happy to see her. She stared at the box while her coffee brewed. _Just open it!_ She tore off the ribbon and slowly opened the lid. _Wow!_ Arizona had made her a bouquet of white and red sugar calla lilies and arranged them on a small dark chocolate cake. Callie poked one of the flowers and accidentally broke it. _Aww sadface!_ She wasn't sure what they were they were made from and was surprised to find they were hard and brittle. She very carefully pulled the rest off and set them aside and cut a small piece for herself. _I'm an adult I can have cake for breakfast if I want to._ Callie almost missed the note that was written on the inside of the lid.

_Calliope,_

_Calla lilies can mean many things, including magnificent beauty. I find you to be magnificently beautiful. Here is my phone number. Feel free to abuse it._

_Arizona_

The butterflies in Callie's stomach were back in full force.

"Oh cake!" Cristina grabbed the knife and cut a piece.

"Sure Cris you can have some." Callie said as she went to take her first bite. _Oh my, this is sex in cake form._ She whacked the fork out of Cristina's hand. "I changed my mind."

"Aw come on, you can get more! All you have to do is bat your big brown eyes, show some boobage, and wave your hair around and Blondie will give you anything you want. I'd actually have to pay for it."

"Nope, mine!"

Cristina really wanted that cake, so she spit on it.

"Cristina! Gross! Seriously? Who does that?"

"Me, now gimme."

Callie took Cristina's ruined piece and threw it in the trash. She grabbed the box and stuck it in her room. "Get your own hot baker who gives you treats."

"Hmph!" Cristina stalked off to her room.

Callie pulled out her phone to text Arizona.

**Hey! I loved my treat! You know how to make a girl blush. **

She sent the text and waited for a reply. _Oh!_

**This is Callie, btw. In case you give treats and your number out to other women.**

Callie set her phone down, not really expecting a reply for awhile. She knew Arizona was busy, so she was surprised when her phone pinged almost right away.

**You're welcome, Calliope. Don't worry, you're the only woman I'm treating. ;)**

She smirked, _yeah I better be,_ and went in her room to get some more sleep before work.

Callie woke up hours later in a panic and checked the clock. _Shit, I overslept! _Her first appointment started fifteen minutes ago. She got dressed and rushed into work. The rest of her day was packed full of appointments and overflow walk ins. By the time she was done it was way past the bakery's closing time. She pulled out her phone to text Arizona, hoping she was still awake.

**I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to visit you again today. We were really busy. **

**No worries, we were really busy too. **

**How did it go?**

**I'll tell you all about it on our date on Monday ;)**

**Okay :)**

**So, where are we going?**

**Nope, not telling.**

**Pleeeease Calliope? How do I know what to wear?**

**Wear something comfortable and that you won't mind getting a little bit dirty in. **

**Well now I'm scared.**

**Don't be. Don't you trust me?**

**Of course.**

**What are you doing right now?**

**I'm already in bed, I'm pooped.**

**Okay, goodnight Mariposa. Sweet dreams.**

**G'night :)**

Arizona used the last of the energy she had left to smile. She was beyond exhausted and had to do it all again tomorrow. Between moving out here and setting up the bakery, she had forgotten how hard a full day of working on her feet could be. She fell asleep thinking about Callie and wondering where she could possibly be taking her.

Sunday flew by in a blur for both the busy women. Arizona went in before Callie was awake and Callie finished when Arizona was already asleep. The only contact they had was a few texts to finalize plans for the next day.

* * *

Callie drove her shiny black Audi A8 up the driveway of the address Arizona had given her. She was surprised by how big the house was and how much land the blonde seemed to own. She parked next to a light blue Mini and nervously walked up to the door. It flew open before she had a chance to knock. Callie stopped short at the sight of Arizona. She was dressed similarly to Callie with jeans, a t-shirt, tennis shoes, and hair loosely pulled back in a low ponytail, but the blonde made casual look hot. "Hey!" Arizona greeted her excitedly. "Can you tell me where we're going now?"

"Haha, no. Nice try." They walked towards Callie's car. Their hands brushed together, sending bolts of electricity shooting through their bodies.

"An Audi, really?" Arizona questioned.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know what I was expecting, but this was definitely not this."

"Says the woman who pulled of that hot Ducati trick the other night and has a sky blue Mini sitting in her driveway?"

"What, it's cute?"

"So are you." Callie opened the door for Arizona to get in, "your chariot awaits!"

The blonde laughed at how adorable Callie was being and slid into the car. They sat in silence as they drove, neither woman knowing what to say. Arizona looked around confused as Callie pulled off to the side of the road. She didn't see anything around them but trees, road, and dirt. "Um, is this it?"

"No, it's right down the street, but I want you to put this on." She handed Arizona a blindfold.

"Are you serious? No way!" This was starting to feel like the start of a bad scary movie.

"I thought you said you trusted me?" She gave Arizona her best puppy dog look that always got what she wanted out of Mark.

"Fine!" _I can't believe I'm freakin' putting on a blindfold right now and trusting someone I just met to not lead me to my doom. _She felt the car start to move again and not even a minute later they stopped. She heard Callie get out of the driver's side. It was silent for a second, then she felt her door being opened and her hand being grabbed. She enjoyed the feeling of her hand in the brunette's so much, that she almost forgot what was happening. "Callie, what is going on?"

"Patience, Arizona. Come on." She pulled the blonde towards the doors and led her inside. She silently waved at her other best friend, Addison Montgomery . Addison was more than confused by the scene in front of her. She was used to Callie showing up at random times, but she never ever brought anybody with her. Especially somebody she pulled around blindfolded. Callie and Arizona went through two more doors and then stopped. Callie had a content smile as she looked around. It has been awhile since she has had time to come visit this place and she missed it. She was also very nervous. She has put a lot of time and work into it and was proud of what she has accomplished over the last five years. Callie hoped more than anything that Arizona would love it.

"What is that awful smell?" Arizona said in disgust. Then she heard it. "Calliope, what…" She was interrupted by Callie pulling the blindfold off. Arizona just blinked as looked around speechless.

_Calliope Torres you are full of surprises!_

* * *

**Another note**: So, can you guys guess where Callie took Arizona? Leave guesses in the reviews. I'm curious to know what you guys think! The only hint I'm giving you is that it is actually one of my favorite places to spend my spare time.

Please also leave comments about the story. I'd like to know what y'all think about the pace and where it is going. I know it's been like 3 days spread over 7 chapters, but it will start to pick up more after the next couple, I think. We'll see how it goes! I can't help how it flows out of my head.


	8. Chapter 8: I won't give up on us

**Note:** I had the luxury of actually being able to type this chapter up on a computer. Yay! A couple of you guys came pretty close in your guesses. I'm impressed, since I didn't really give any good hints. Haha. Okay, let's get this story rolling! I think this is my favorite chapter so far.

* * *

"I'm sorry about the weird smell. Volunteers come in every morning and evening to clean out the dirty stuff and replace it with fresh stuff. They manage to do all this overnight. It will be good as new when we are done." Callie said as Arizona wandered around the room wide eyed. _Please be okay with this._ She was having a hard time reading the blonde. Except for the bright look in her eyes, Arizona's facial expression seemed indifferent.

"We?"

"Yeah, I signed us up for today. I hope that's okay?"

Arizona turned to make eye contact with the nervous looking brunette who was still standing in the doorway. She wanted to keep Callie waiting in suspense, but couldn't control her smile any longer. Callie swore the smile that slowly spread across the blonde's face was magical. "Calliope! Of course it's okay! This is so cool. What is this place?" Arizona stopped at one cage and stuck her fingers between the bars. "Hey little guys! You are so cute and soft! Are you hungry? Do you want that stinky box out of there? Don't worry, I'll take care of you!" She cooed.

Callie's heart swelled as she watched Arizona move from cage to cage greeting each inhabitant individually with a smile and a pat on the head. She couldn't began to describe the relief she felt when she saw that magic smile. "It's called Eva's Friends and it's an animal sanctuary, rescue, and adoption center. We also do low cost spay and neuter, vaccination clinics, and help people out financially in emergencies. There was a need in this county for help for the animals, especially cats. There were already a ton of dogs rescue groups, but no one wanted to tackle the growing cat and other small animal population. Eva was a huge animal lover and wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up. She used to bring home every sick animal off the street and tried to save them. It was like we lived in a zoo. My parents were horrified, but didn't have the heart to tell her no. We mostly take in cats and kittens off the street. We also have rabbits, birds, a few horses, and even a llama. My favorite part is the special needs cats and older ones no one wants to take care of. We give them a forever home here and they are loved until they are no longer with us. I'll take you to those rooms next." Callie finally paused, a little embarrassed of her rambling.

"Wow, that was quite the speech." Arizona laughed, "so what room are we in now?" They were standing in a room of ten cages. Arizona hated to call them cages, they were more like kitty condos. Each one housed a litter of 2-5 kittens. The cacophony of hungry yells and meows was a liitle harsh on the ears. She had never seen so many kittend one place. It was amazing.

"This is the kitten room. Kittens that graduate from the nursery come in here. When we get the room and cages cleaned up, they get to come out and run around. The public get to come in here and play with them and take them home if they find a match."

"This is really great, Calliope. What an awesome way to honor your sister. Where do you find time to do this?"

"I do more of the financial backing and help with a couple of the major fundraisers every year. My other best friend is a registered veterinary technician and she is the one who runs this place for me. She's one of only two people who get paid, the rest is all volunteers."

"Wow, so you own your own business, you have this place, and you don't seem to be living in a dump. I didn't realize tattooing was so lucrative." Arizona knew from her brother that there really wasn't this much money in tattooing and he was one of the most sought after and well paid artists out there. She wondered where all this money actually came from.

"Ha, yeah, well… I get by alright." Callie wasn't ready to reveal exactly where all the money came from. She felt guilty about always having everything she ever wanted. It was one of the reasons she poured so much of it into charity. She quickly changed the subject. "You ready to get these guys cleaned up and fed? We'll have a kitten rebellion soon if they don't get their food."

"Yes!" Arizona clapped her hands together in excitement. "Do we get to play with them after?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course, you can do whatever you want." And Callie meant that. She would give Arizona the world if it meant she would get to see her smile like this all of the time.

"Alright tell me what I need to do."

"First, put this on." Callie handed her a navy blue scrub top and put one on herself. "These will keep our clothes clean from flying poo and dirty kitten paws."

"Eww, really?"

"Yeah, you might be surprised at how big of a mess these little guys make. They are lucky they are cute!"

Callie showed Arizona what they needed to do to get the job done and they got to work. They had put on some music and they bopped around singing in their best goofy voices. They both couldn't believe how comfortable they felt together and how in sync they were as they moved about the room. It ended up being slow going, since Arizona couldn't stop cuddling and kissing every kitten she touched. Callie's heart was smiling as she watched the blonde from the corner of her eye. _This was the best idea, ever. You're a genius Torres. _Unknown to Callie, Arizona was also stealing glances at the brunette. She couldn't get over how sweet the bad ass tattoo artist looked hugging an armful of kittens._ Be careful Arizona, don't start falling too hard. You will only end up heartbroken and alone again._ She quietly sighed and went back to filling up water bowls and putting fresh ones in the cages.

When they were finished, they each chose a kitten from one of the litters and sat down on the floor next to each other, their backs against the wall. They sat in a calm silence as they rubbed the kittens' soft bellies in their laps. Since they had been playing all morning and now had full bellies, the kittens were fighting to keep their eyes open. Arizona giggled quietly as her kitten fell asleep half in her lap and half on the floor. Arizona's soft giggle was music to Callie's ears. "This is nice, thank you for bringing me here."

"I take it you like it?"

"I love it!"

"Good, I'm glad."

"Is this how you get in all the girls pants?" Arizona joked.

"Why is it going to work?" Callie struggled with if she should tell the blonde the truth.

"Maybe." Arizona wore a serious expression on her face. It was a mixture of regret and sorrow.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Arizona looked down at the sleeping kitten in her lap. He instantly settled her nerves. _Who needs therapy with these little guys around?_ "I don't know how to explain it." _I'm scared._

Callie noticed that Arizona was struggling with something and decided to be honest. "Arizona, you're the first girl I have ever brought here."

"Really?" She smiled slightly. It was a little one, but better than nothing.

"This place is very special to me and I would never use it to get into girls pants. Besides, I don't need tricks, I'm Callie Torres." She looked at the blonde with a playful smile and nudged her with her elbow to show her she was kidding. Well, half kidding.

Arizona punched her lightly in the arm, being careful not to wake up the kittens. "Shut up!" After a long pause she asked, "Why me?"

Callie thought for a minute. She didn't want to come on too strong and scare the blonde away. She knew she had to approach her delicately. "I don't know. You're just special and I thought you would appreciate the work being done here. I dated my last girlfriend for a year and never brought her here. She knew about it, of course, but never even showed any interest."

Arizona just continued to look down at the fluffy grey and white kitten. _Oh to be a cat! Life would be so much simpler. You eat, play, sleep, and repeat. _"Okay," she said softly.

"Okay?" _What, that's it? This is going to be harder than I thought._

"Yeah, okay." Arizona had no idea what else to say. She didn't want to admit out loud yet that she thought Callie was special too. No one has ever treated her like this before and she didn't know how to react. It made her feel equally overjoyed and uncomfortable. She knew she was being unfair to Callie once again.

"You want the grand tour now?" Callie decided to drop it for now. She knew she would break through the walls eventually. She was willing to wait and she would wait forever if she had to.

Arizona was amazed by the brunette's ability to know when to push and when to drop a subject. "Yes please. Can I bring Sonny?" She held up the groggy kitten.

"Sonny?"

"Yeah, I renamed him. It's much better than Fred."

Callie laughed, "No, I'm sorry. We can't have kittens running around here. They have to stay in this area, where it's clean."

"Please, I love him!"

Callie almost caved at the adorable pout that now graced Arizona's face, but she knew they had rules for a reason. "I'm sorry, we can come visit him again before we leave."

"Oh alright." She kissed his little nose and put him back in the cage with his brothers and sisters. "Bye Sonny, I'll be back!" She turned to Callie, "lead the way!"

Callie showed her around the different buildings and the surrounding property. Arizona was shocked by how huge the sanctuary was. She was glad she had Callie as a tour guide, because she found herself turned around and lost more than once. It was obvious just how much love, time, and money went into making this place a happy home for homeless, abused, sick, and last chance animals. They came across a lot of volunteers who all greeted Callie like she was their long lost best friend. She spent most of her time listening to spiel after spiel about the various programs they offered from the brunette. Callie was obviously passionate about the place. The more she talked the harder Arizona fell.

"So you're an artist, an animal super hero, and an amazing tour guide. What else do you have hidden up your sleeves?"

"Well, people say I can sing pretty well and I'm an amazing cook, among my many other special talents." Callie wiggled her eyebrows at her.

"Wow, cocky." Arizona chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"A confident woman is definitely hot, but don't overdo it."

"I'll try to keep the confident levels down. What about you?"

"What about me what?" _Uh oh, I do not like where this is headed._

"Any secrets up your sleeves I should know about?"

"Nope what you see it what you get." Arizona lied. She knew she wouldn't get away with it. Callie could already read her like a book. It was annoying.

"MmmHmm, you're lying, but I'll let you slide for now, because here comes Addy."

"Cal!" Arizona watched as a tall slender and very good looking red head ran up to Callie and gave her a big hug, "Where the hell have you been? We've missed you around here."

"Well, you know. I'm a busy lady."

"Yeah, yeah. The ever so popular Callie Torres too busy bedding and tattooing every woman in this town? Can't find time for us little folk who don't put out?"

"Addy!" She glared at the red head and looked at Arizona, then back to Addison.

Arizona was slightly uncomfortable by the silent conversation that was now happening between Callie and this new Addy person. They seemed to come to an understanding and the red head stuck her hand out to her. "Hi, I'm Addison Montgomery. I run this joint. You must be very special, since Callie brought you here."

Arizona shook her hand, "Arizona Robbins, I'm new in town and Callie was just showing me some places."

"Right. I believe that." She glanced between the blonde and brunette with a knowing smile on her face. "So, what really brings you two out here."

"I signed us up for a volunteer shift, since I know we need the help. Now we are done and we are leaving." She needed to get away from Addy before she embarrassed her more in front of Arizona.

"Fine, fine." She hugged Callie goodbye. "I love you Cals, come see me more!"

"I love you too! Why don't you come to Joe's tonight? It's been awhile since you've been out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. Normal time?" It really has been awhile since she has been out with the gang. She hadn't really been feeling up to it.

"Yup!"

"Okay, I'll be there. It was nice to meet you Arizona Robbins."

"Nice to meet you too." She didn't know why, but the red head made her feel uneasy. _Maybe because she's a freakin' super model and she keeps touching Callie? And what about Callie bedding a lot of woman? Stop it, you have no right to be jealous! Everyone has a past._ She did not like where her mind was taking her.

"Want to go say good bye to Sonny and then go get some lunch?"

"Actually can you just take me home? I'm getting a headache." She had no idea why she just said that. _Seriously, Arizona? Why do you screw everything up? _Disappointment filled Callie's face and Arizona felt guilty. _Say you're kidding! Say you're hungry! Just say anything! Dumbass!_ Instead she remained silent and followed the let down Latina out to her car.

They rode to Arizona's house in silence. Each lost in their own thoughts. Arizona was beating herself up for screwing up her chances with Callie and Callie was trying to figure out why Arizona was still playing this game of hot and cold with her. _Stupid Addison and her big mouth. I have to remind myself to kill her later. _They pulled into the blonde's driveway and Callie turned off her car. She looked at Arizona expectantly. _Come on, Arizona, show me those pretty baby blues. It's your turn to give a little_. Arizona looked everywhere, but at the expressive brown eyes that she could feel watching her. Finally, while looking straight ahead, she spoke, "Thanks for the date, Callie I had a lot of fun." She went to open the door, but was stopped by a hand wrapping around her wrist.

"Wait. There is nothing more I want right now, but to kiss you." She heard Arizona take a sharp intake of breath. "But not like this. Please come out to Joe's with me tonight and we'll call it Date One: Part Two." Callie had another idea that had to work. If it didn't, then she would keep trying. Arizona finally glanced at her, but didn't say anything. Callie tried to decipher the intense stare the blonde was now giving her. "Please, Arizona. I'm trying really hard here. Meet me halfway?" Callie was not above begging at this point.

"I know and I'm really sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. You really should just give up now. I'm not worth it." _Please, don't give up!_

"Nope, not giving up. So will you come?" She pleaded with Arizona with her eyes.

Arizona smiled, "those puppy dog eyes are impossible to say no to. I'll meet you there at ten. How about that?"

"I'll take it!" She lifted the wrist her hand was still wrapped around and kissed Arizona's palm. "Now go get some rest and make yourself look hot."

"Hey! I'm always hot!" Arizona laughed.

"True story!" Callie beamed, she was happy to hear the blonde laugh again. "Now get out. You need time to miss me."

Arizona stepped out of the car and walked up to her porch. She watched the Audi back down her driveway and sighed, _I already miss you, Calliope._ She turned to go back into big empty house and shut the door behind her. The silence was deafening. This was her mother's childhood home. It was left to her mom when her grandmother passed away ten years again and she was letting Arizona live in it. She climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't bother to change and threw herself onto the bed and started crying. She did not understand why she was acting this way. She did not understand why Callie was being so patient with her. _She likes you, just open up and let her. She won't hurt you. Psh, I wish I could believe that._ She fell asleep feeling very alone and wishing she had her brother there to give her the advice she desperately needed.

Arizona woke up hours later very disoriented. She was upside down in her bed and was still in her jeans and tshirt. _Crap, what time is it?_ She searched around for her phone that had fallen out of her pocket. She found it and saw that she still had about an hour to get ready. The blonde rolled out of bed and onto the floor. She growled and headed toward the shower. _This better be worth it._

* * *

_Where is she, where is she, where is she? _Callie had convinced herself that Arizona wasn't going to come.

"Calm down Torres, she'll show."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Then you go on with your life. The bar is full of women, take your pick."

"No, Mark. I am done with that life. I only want one girl." She paused as she looked at the door again, not seeing anyone she knew coming in. "Is this plan crazy?"

"I don't think so. Women love this kind of shit, don't they? Though it seems like too big of a gesture for someone you haven't slept with yet."

Callie rolled her eyes and checked her watch, _10:15 that's it, she's not coming._

"Callie! Roller Girl just walked in. Let's get this train wreck started!" Cristina yelled over the crowd. As much as she would like to see Callie happy, she was looking forward to a little public humiliation.

Callie ducked behind Mark. She didn't want Arizona to see her yet. Arizona looked around and spotted a table with Addison, Cristina, Meredith, and Lexie sitting around it. She figured she should head that way and ask if they knew where Callie was. "Hey guys, have you seen Callie?" Addison and Cristina looked at her with matching Cheshire Cat grins, Meredith was avoiding eye contact all together, and Lexie looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What's going on?" They all remained silent. "Lexiiiiie?" If there was anyone she could get to spill the beans, it was Lexie Grey.

"Uh, why are you looking at me? I don't know anything?"

"Alexandra Elizabeth Grey! You tell me what is going on!"

Lexie looked like she was about to pee her pants when Mark walked up. "Saved by the manwhore, Cupcake Girl." Cristina said while still staring at Arizona.

"Mark, where's Callie?"

"Oh, she's around."

"What do you mean 'she's around'?" Arizona was really starting to get pissed at her friends.

"Just what I said, she's…" Mark was interrupted by a tapping on a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to provide you with a little free entertainment tonight. Please welcome, Callie Torres to the stage." The bar erupted in applause. Most of the regulars have heard Callie sing before and knew they were in for a treat.

Arizona was still really confused as she looked towards the stage. Her ears did not deceive her, standing there in all her miraculous glory was the object of her affection. She was wearing a purple dress that was tight around her chest and flowed down to her knees and plain black flats. Her hair was down and her curls were flowing down her shoulders and back. Arizona watched as Callie made her way to the center of the stage where there was a stool and a guitar. Callie sat down and picked up the guitar, testing it out to make sure it was in tune. The bar was completely silent has Callie strummef the first chord and started humming. Arizona was completely captivated by this woman as she started to sing.

_When I look into your eyes  
It's like watching the night sky  
Or a beautiful sunrise  
There's so much they hold  
And just like them old stars  
I see that you've come so far  
To be right where you are  
How old is your soul?_

Callie looked towards where she knew Arizona was sitting. They locked eyes and the brunette poured everything she could into the song. She needed Arizona to finally hear her.

_I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up_

_And when you're needing your space  
To do some navigating  
I'll be here patiently waiting  
To see what you find_

Arizona sat motionless, looking into Callie's eyes. Callie's voice had that rough indie tone that Arizona loved and she knew right then she was a goner.

_I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily_  
_I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make_  
_Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use_  
_The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake_  
_And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend_  
_For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn_  
_We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in_  
_I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not_  
_And who I am_

Arizona could feel the tears in her eyes and had to break eye contact with Callie before she started sobbing in the middle of a bar in front of a hundred strangers.

_I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up  
Still looking up.  
_

_I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)  
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)  
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)  
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)_

Arizona looked back at Callie. She could see the tears also forming in the chocolate brown eyes she has become addicted to.

_I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up_

Callie ended the song in almost a whisper. Everyone in the bar sat silently, not knowing what to do next. They have never seen Callie so open and vulnerable before. She had poured every emotion she was feeling into that song. They usually see her drunk, bitchy, and picking up women. Their eyes shifted from the brunette on the stage to the blonde stranger she was currently staring at. There was so much electricity and tension in the air between them that it was making the crowd uneasy.

"More tequila over here Joe!" Cristina yelled into the silence. Thankful that someone finally broke the ice, the crowd went back to drinking and mingling. Cristina was overwhelmed. She was hoping Callie would make a fool of herself, not make her feel so many emotions. Cristina Yang does not do emotions, so she decided to drink more.

Arizona and Callie continued to look into each other's eyes. Arizona had gotten Callie's message loud and clear. They didn't notice the crowd around them. They were the only two in the bar for all they knew. Arizona couldn't handle the emotions anymore. She couldn't handle the eyes she felt on her. _I have to get out of here._

Callie watched as Arizona stood up and ran out the door. _Fuck._ She quickly put her guitar on the stand and shouted, "Arizona wait!" The blonde ignored her and kept moving. Callie chased her as she slipped into the alleyway between their two shops. "Arizona! Stop right there, damn it! Stop running!" Callie was desperate. Arizona stopped so suddenly, that Callie slammed into the back of her, almost knocking her over. The brunette jumped away from her instantly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you in there. You just weren't hearing me before. I need you to listen to me! I thought this would make you pay attention!" Silence. "Please just say something!" Callie was screaming at her now. "I don't know what happened to you, but you have to trust that I will not intentionally hurt you!" More silence. "Arizona, please." She pleaded barely above a whisper. She waited. "Arizo-"

"Shut up, Calliope! Just shut up!" Arizona yelled so loud they both jumped back startled. "You keep yelling at me and I can't think straight! Just let me think. Just, just…" she lost all her self control as her body took over her mind and lunged itself into Callie with such force, she slammed the shocked brunette against the wall behind her. Before Callie could react she felt Arizona's hot soft lips on hers and let out a loud moan. Two hearts soared to heights neither have ever experienced. The blonde started off slow and gentle, but at Callie's moan she forced her tongue past the Latin's full lips and into the depths of her mouth, causing the brunette to release another surprised moan. Callie responded with just as much fervor as their tongues battled each other for dominance. Arizona held tight to the front of Callie's soft silk like dress and sighed into Callie's mouth when the brunette roughly tugged at her hair and pushed back against her body. Before Arizona could realize what was happening the Latina swiftly spun then around without losing contact. She now had the blonde pinned roughly against the wall. Callie was desperate to slow the kiss down. She wanted to take the time to savor it. She gently took Arizona's bottom lip in between her own lips and lightly sucked, the cherry lip gloss she was wearing tasted amazing mixed with the vanilla of the blondes. It was intoxicating. She nipped a little and released her lip as she pushed her tongue gently into Arizona's eager mouth. She moved her hands slowly down the blonde's back and rested them at the base of her spine. Arizona still had an iron grip on the front of her dress. When Callie started to move her hands lower, Arizona shoved her away slightly, ripping her lips away from the Latina's. The two women struggled to catch their breath and calm down their heartbeats as they stood in the empty alley way staring at each other. Callie stepped back in and rested her forehead on the blonde's. They hugged each other tightly as they looked into each other's eyes. They reflected the same fire, passion, lust, and anguish that flowed through their bodies.

"I'm scared, Calliope." Even though they were face to face, Callie barely heard the soft confession.

"I know. I am too."

_Let's be scared together. _

* * *

**Note 2: **The song Callie sings here is Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up and I freakin love it.** _  
_**

So sticking Callie as a founder of an animal sanctuary may seem random. Like I said before, I volunteer at a place like this and it is the most rewarding experience. I knew I had to fit it in my story somehow. I don't know if you smelled that many dirty litter boxes all at once. It is not pretty, especially with kittens.


	9. Chapter 9: We have to follow them!

"We have to follow them!" Cristina whispered to Addison. They had just watched Callie chase Arizona out of the door of Joe's and they were both dying to know what was happening outside.

"No! We need to give them some privacy."

"Come on! I know you're just as nosey as me. We came here to see this freak show and I want to see how it ends."

"Okay, let's go." Addison really wanted to see how it ended too, so it wasn't really hard to convince her.

"Where are you two going?" Mark asked as the two women stood up.

"Bathroom" "Dancing" They both answered at the same time.

He narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously, "So which is it?"

"Bathroom and then we're going to dance."

"Together?"

"Yeah so what?"

"You two are not friends. I have never seen you have a conversation that didn't involve fighting."

"We're friends!" they gave each other a hug so awkward it could rival Draco and Voldemort. "See, I love Red. All that fire and spunk in her."

"You're lying, Yang."

"Sloan, you're wasting our time, we have to go or we'll miss the show." Cristina pulled Addison towards the door.

"What show!" Mark yelled after them.

"A real live version of that real L Word show!"

Mark looked at Alex who was watching them leave. As soon as Alex glanced back at Mark they both jumped up and went to follow them. There was no way in hell they we're going to miss it either. "Guys! No! Leave them alone!" Lexie yelled after them. She couldn't decide if she should stay out of it or go after them. After thinking for a second she hopped off her stool and ran out the door. She found the four still standing right outside the bar. "Seriously guys, stop!"

"No way, we need to find them. Which way would they go?" Cristina looked around them as if their missing friends would suddenly appear before their eyes. "Come on guys think! We're supposed to be their best friends. Cupcake Girl, where would Blondie go if she were upset? I know Cal would go to Joe's, but that's obviously not the answer here."

"No way, I am not involved in this."

"The bakery! She likes to eat junk and create things when she's upset."

"Alex!" Lexie glared at him.

They all took off towards the bakery. It looked dark. "Crap it's locked. She probably doesn't have her keys on her. What about your apartment?"

Just as they were about to head to Callie and Cristina's apartment. Addison stuck her arm out to stop them. "Wait, ssshh!" She cocked her head slightly to try and hear better.

"Shut up, Calliope! Just shut up!" They could hear Arizona yelling from the small alley between the two buildings.

"We really should go this sounds personal." Lexie tried again to get the four to leave, but they ignored her.

Addison and Cristina slowly peeked around the corner of the building. "Can you see anything?" Mark whispered.

"No, it's too dark." Cristina was disappointed. She went to go back to the bar when she heard a familiar noise.

Alex had heard it too. "Dude was that a moan?"

"Yeah, it was Callie." She squinted down the alley trying harder to see. "Damn! I'm calling city hall tomorrow this dark alley can't be safe." She turned around to see Addison, Mark, Alex, and Lexie staring at her wide eyed. "What?"

"How did you know that was Callie?" Addison asked, a little scared of what the answer might be.

"Oh please! I've shared a bedroom wall with her for the last six years and lived in the same room with her for two years before that. I know when she's faking or of it's the real thing." Cristina paused to listen. "It's really quiet, what do you think is going on?" She turned back towards the alley and jumped when she saw Callie was standing right behind her with a look to kill in her eyes. "Umm... Hey Cal?" _Shit we're in trouble._

"What are you guys doing out here?" Callie was angry. Very angry. No one answered her. They were afraid of the wrath of the fiery Latina. Cristina and Mark were the only ones of the group to experience this side of her before and it was something they never wanted to see again. "Somebody better fucking answer me right now!"

"Callie, let them go." Mark wrapped his arms around her, giving the others a chance to make their escape. When they were gone he pulled back and looked her in the eyes. "What happened?" Callie could only shake her head with tears in her eyes. "Oh Cal-Cals, I'm sorry." He hugged her tighter. "You want to go to Joe's? Seems like a tequila kind of night." He felt her shake her head no. "You want to go home?" The silent brunette nodded. "Okay, let's get you home." He tried to let go, but Callie held on tighter. "Or we can stay here."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. The and I quote 'most beautiful and amazing woman in the world' sent you flowers with a perfectly vomit worthy note. She took you and only you to the most important place in her life on a date that YOU ruined. She sang you a song in front of a bar full of friends and strangers basically promising you that no matter what she would fight for you, commit herself to you, and stick by you. You then ran and she chased you. You shared an amazing kiss that YOU instigated. You admitted your fear and so did she. Then you left her standing in a dark alleyway all alone without any answers? AND she did all this after only knowing you for a few days? OH and you were able to cry in front of her, which you never ever do. She knows about your brother and that you're damaged goods, but she still keeps coming back. And now you have been avoiding her for the past three days? Does that sound about right?"

"Yes..." Arizona said embarrassed.

"Arizona Robbins! Do you know how many bad dates with different guys I've been on in just the last month?"

"I don't know."

"Nine. The answer is nine! The last one spent an hour showing me pictures of his cats. His CATS. All six of them! Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, and Joey!"

"Okay I get it!"

"Do you, Arizona, do you? Because I don't think you do. I hate you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're an idiot!"

"I'm sca-"

"Yeah, yeah you're scared. Stubborn, moronic, idiot!"

"Stop calling me names! You're supposed to be helping me!" Arizona hadn't been able to sleep in days and knew she needed some tough love, so she had called up her best friend in New York, Teddy Altman, in the middle of the night.

"I don't need to help you! There's only one answer here. What is your freakin problem?"

"I don't want to get attached and then have her leave me because I'm all messed up! I don't know if I can trust her to not leave when things get tough for me. I don't know if I can trust myself to let her in. I don't want all of this to be for nothing! I don't want to get hurt and I promised her best friend that I wouldn't hurt her. I'm pretty sure I already broke that promise."

"Arizona, you are already attached. If you weren't, you wouldn't be calling me whining at three in the morning." There was silence on the other end of the line. "You know she's not Lizzy, right?" Teddy questioned softly.

"She's a million times better than Lizzy! I don't even think I ever felt this strong of a connection with Lizzy in the three years we were together than I already do with Callie."

"Do you hear yourself right now?"

"It's just a lot of feelings really fast and it's terrifying! And this is on top of trying to run a new business! It's all too much. I've also kind of heard some thing's that make me think she's some kind of player. What if this is all just a game to her?"

"Then slow down. Start at the beginning. Take her out to dinner and talk to her. You need to hear her past from her. I doubt she'd put all this work into a game. It sounds like she'd understand and will go at your pace. I mean what do you guys even really know about each other?"

"Not much. I do know enough to know that I need to have her in my life, even if we're just friends."

"But you don't want to be just friends?"

"No, no I don't."

"Then stop ignoring her and ask her out! Sounds like she has been doing all the work."

"I know, you're right. I don't know if I have any chances left though. I really hurt her already. The look in her eyes when I turned to leave her almost killed me. She might not trust me to not run again."

"Of course I'm right! That's why you called isn't it? Do you plan on running again?"

Arizona thought for a minute even though she knew the answer. She's been losing sleep over it for the past three days. Three days she spent without seeing Callie and it was killing her. "No, I'm done running."

"Good for you! Now don't screw it up or I'll come out there and kick your ass."

"Yeah well we'll see if she is still interested." Arizona paused. "I really miss you, Teds."

"I miss you too and of course she's interested. She's already proved that to you over and over. I need to visit so I can make sure she actually exists and you haven't just made her up in that crazy mind of yours."

"Hey! Be nice! You're welcome anytime. You can stay with me in this giant empty house."

"So she's hot, huh?"

"Omg Teddy, you have no idea! She's got the hair, the eyes, the body, the boobs! They way she talks makes me melt. The way she looks at me sets my body on fire. Even our short kiss had my insides burning straight down to my crotch. She's sex on legs."

"Okay, okay! I get it! I'll see what I can do about visiting. Now I really need to see this woman."

There was more silence from Arizona's end. Teddy could practically hear the wheels turning in the blondes head. "I'm an idiot."

"Yes you are. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yes you can go back to sleep! Thank you for listening and knocking some sense into me."

"Anytime Zona, anytime. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight." Arizona hung up the phone with a new found determination. She had to fix this with Callie. _I can't believe how much you screwed this up in such a short amount of time. Now you just have to think of something to gain her trust back._ Arizona checked her phone for the time. _Crap I have to be up for work in three hours. _She tossed and turned for thirty minutes before coming up with the perfect idea that would both show Callie she was serious about her and would help Arizona finally start to come to terms with her brother being gone.

* * *

Mark was seriously worried. He had yet to get Callie to open up about what happened in the alley three nights ago. She has been either on her couch watching bad reality tv or at work locked in her office if she wasn't working on a client. He was worried because the usually tempestuous Latina in these types of situations now seemed withdrawn and apathetic. It was unnerving and he needed to do something about it, even if it meant poking at the hibernating beast inside of her.

Mark found Callie in her office working, not that it was hard to locate her. "Torres! How come we haven't seen Blondie around these last few days? All that perk was starting to grow on me and she's pretty easy on the eyes, but you know that." He watched as Callie silently worked on a stencil for her next appointment. He couldn't get her to look up at him. "What happened Cal? You need to talk about this. You're scaring me." Callie stopped the movement of her pencil to show that she was listening, but still didn't look up. "Please talk to me. You know you can tell me anything." Callie remained silent and resumed her drawing. _Okay, time to pull out the big guns._ "What so are you giving up? Just like that? Since when does Callie Torres give up on something she wants? I didn't know you were a quitter." Callie slammed her pencil down on the desk and looked up at him with fire in her eyes. _Yup, that did it._

"Mark! She doesn't want me okay? I'm not good enough. Drop it and leave me alone!" She picked up her pencil and tried to go back to her drawing, but her hands were too shaky now.

"That's bullshit! Of course she wants you. I've seen the way she looks at you when she thinks no one is looking."

"You don't know what you're talking about! She keeps pushing me away, no matter how close I think I'm getting with her. She keeps making me think I actually have a chance and then kills my hopes. Do you know how that makes me feel?" Callie was yelling now. It shouldn't, but it made Mark happy to finally get some kind of reaction out of his friend.

"Did she say she didn't want to be with you?"

"No, but her actions speak volumes."

"Then you should talk to her."

"It's not that simple."

"But I think it is."

"Do you want to know what happened the other night? _SHE_ kissed _ME_. It was one of the most amazing kisses of my life. It made me feel things I've never experienced." She saw Mark smile. "No, no smiling! She then told me she was scared and then she ran away. Literally ran away from me. Like I was going to hurt her right then and there if she didn't get away from me as fast as she could. She just left me standing there alone. Didn't say anything else. Just left."

"Have you tried talking to her since then?"

"Of course! I've texted, called, and went next door. She is definitely avoiding me."

"So, you _are _giving up?"

"No, I'm not. I can't. I need her in my life. I'm just giving her space and time to come to me."

"Are you sure she'll come to you?"

"I really hope so, Mark. I'll do anything."

"You really like her, huh?" He smiled at her.

"You think?" Callie gave him a small smile back.

Three hours later and two hours deep into a phoenix tattoo she was doing on someone's ribs, Callie was getting tired. She put her gun down and took off her gloves to give her and her client a break. "Let's take fifteen minutes to stretch." She stood up and stretched her arms over her head and looked around. It was unusually busy for a weekday and everyone was working on someone at their stations. Callie loved the soothing sound of the tattoo guns buzzing away. She walked from station to station to see what her friends and employees were working on. Under the supervision of Mark, George was working on some hearts on a young girl's wrist. Meredith was setting up her client for some piercing on his face. Callie wasn't really sure what. She never really got into the whole piercings thing, so they had brought Meredith in to do it. She moved over to where Cristina had a guy spread out in his stomach while she worked on a dragon on his back. Callie had no idea why Cristina wanted to be a tattoo artist. You kind of have to be a people person to do it. You spend hours sitting in close proximity touching strangers making small talk. Something Cristina was very bad at. People who came to her didn't care though. She was one of the best and if people wanted a Cristina Yang original, they were okay sitting through hours of awkward silence. "Looks great, Cris!"

"Oh, what you're talking now? Can you put a schedule on the fridge? All this flip flopping is confusing me."

Callie just rolled her eyes and went back to her station. She put new gloves on and re-sanitized the area. She looked up to see her client was back. "You ready for this? We got a couple more hours to go." She sat down and got back to work. The buzzing in her ears was calming.

* * *

"April, do you think you would be okay alone for a few minutes? I need Alex and Lexie for something."

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Arizona grabbed Alex and Lexie by an elbow and pulled them out the front door. "Um, Boss what are we doing?"

"You two are going to make sure I don't run."

Alex and Lexie exchanged quizzical looks and let the indomitable blonde drag them down the sidewalk.

* * *

"Alright we're almost done here," Callie said as she wiped away some of the blood and ink to get a better look at her work. "There are just a few more small details I need to add, then we'll wrap you up, and you can get going. Make sure you follow all of the aftercare instructions we gave you before I started and call us if you have any questions." Callie was looking forward to getting out of here. She had spent the last four and a half hours hunched over her client's ribs. Her back was starting to hurt and she could feel herself getting cranky. _Shit, I need some coffee_. She heard the bell on the door ding, but didn't look up from her task. _George will take care of it. _She noticed instantly that the buzzing and chatter around her stopped, but ignored it. Callie was in her zone.

"Um, Cal?" Mark said trying to get her attention.

Callie stopped what she was doing and looked at him irritated. "What?" She barked.

"Don't be a bitch!"

"You're the one interrupting me when I'm in the middle of something. You know I don't like to lose my concentration." She looked around and noticed everyone shifting their eyes from her to the door. "What the hell are you guys looking at?" Callie turned towards where they were looking and her breath hitched. Standing just inside the door was Arizona, Alex, and Lexie in their bakery uniforms looking apprehensively at her. Arizona was slightly in front of Alex and Lexie with a terrified look on her face. Callie slammed her tools down, took off her gloves, stood up, and slowly moved towards the door. Mark and Cristina followed her, just in case she needed back up. They stood behind Callie, mirroring the three bakers. Mark couldn't help but think they were about to be in a western style standoff. All they needed was tumbleweed and some whistling. Callie and Arizona locked eyes, neither woman saying anything. George, Meredith, and their clients sat in confused silence, not knowing what to make of the situation.

"What are you doing here, Blondie?" Mark asked.

"She wants to talk to Callie." Alex answered for Arizona.

Cristina narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "Then talk, we're listening."

Lexie gave Arizona a gentle nudge forward, "It's okay, just say what you came to say."

"Torres, call off your dogs." Alex demanded. Cristina stepped towards him and snapped her teeth at him, making him step back. "This is ridiculous!"

Arizona and Callie continued to stare into each others eyes, trying to read what the other was thinking. Finally Callie spoke up, "What are you doing here Arizona?"

"I…" Arizona had no idea how to start. All her confidence from earlier drained out of her as soon as they walked in the door.

"You ignore me for three days and then come in here interrupting all my employees work without warning. Tell me what you want or leave."

"I want you to finish my tattoo!" Arizona blurted out loudly. Callie gaped at her in shock. That was not what she was expecting at all.

Mark, Cristina, Alex, and Lexie all exchanged questioning looks. _Tattoo? What tattoo? What is she talking about?_

"Arizona…" Callie started.

"No, shut up! I'm talking now." Arizona had found her courage again.

"You have got to stop telling me to shut up!"

"Be quiet! I know I don't deserve for you to listen to what I have to say, but please just hear me out." Arizona didn't care that that she had an audience; she was doing this right here and now. Callie nodded slightly, showing that she would listen. "I do want you to finish my back, but not yet. I'm not ready yet. I want to take you out on dates, so we can get to know each other more. I want us to go to the park and swing on the swings. I want to go to the cold beach at night, so I have an excuse to huddle close to you for warmth as we listen to the ocean. I want to fall asleep in your arms, trusting you completely and have my mind so full of memories of us, that I forget the rest of the world for a night. I want us to talk and learn all the little silly mundane things about each other. I don't even know your favorite color! I'm sorry I ran. We were going too fast and I was feeling too much and I got scared. I know I hurt you and you probably don't trust me right now, but please let me show you that you can. I can't promise I won't try to run again. I can't promise that I won't do something stupid and try to push you away. I can promise that I am going to try with everything that I am to make this work, because I _really_ want this to work." Arizona looked at Callie, who looked back at her with an expressionless face. "So, Calliope Torres, would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" The entire room held their breath and looked at Callie, impatiently waiting for her answer. They felt like they were watching a movie.

"It's red."

"Excuse me?" Arizona said confused. _Is she talking in code?_

"My favorite color is red." Callie beamed so bright she lit up the room. She closed the space between her and the nervous blonde and leaned in for a tentative kiss. The both deepened the kiss and moaned quietly into each other.

"Oh gag me now." Cristina said, walking back to her workstation. Her job there was done.

Arizona and Callie pulled apart remembering they had about ten witnesses, including strangers.

"Is that a yes?" Arizona asked hopefully.

"It's a yes." Callie kissed the blonde again, but more innocently. They could get to the good stuff later. "Mmm, I can get used to this."

"Me too."

"You know all you had to do was call me on the phone and ask me to dinner. I would have said yes."

"Huh?"

"You didn't have to do the big grand speech in front of everybody to prove yourself. I already told you that I'm in. All I wanted was for you to come to me for once. Don't get me wrong, it was cute, but not necessary." She laughed at the blush the crept up Arizona's face.

_Oh._

* * *

I'm ready to actually get this relationship moving. How about you? ;)


	10. Chapter 10: Maybe this was a bad idea

Arizona stepped out of her car and glanced up the stairs to Callie's apartment. She tried to calm down the butterflies that suddenly appeared in her stomach. She felt like this date was the single most important date of her life. Maybe it was. She slowly climbed the stairs and stopped outside the door. Arizona raised her hand to knock, but lowered it before making contact. _Relax, it's just Callie! She adores you and you adore her._ The blonde tried and failed again to knock. _Ugh! What is wrong with me!_ Just as she was about to try knocking again, the door opened and she was greeted by a caramel skinned, chocolate eyed, miraculous Goddess, aka Calliope Torres. Arizona had chosen a casual place to eat, so Callie was dressed in her usual tight jeans that somehow defied science and cupped Callie's ass perfectly, her motorcycle boots, and her well worn leather jacket. Her brown eyes were heavily lined and she wore a shade of red lipstick that matched the flowy red shirt she had on under her jacket perfectly. Her raven hair was in the messy curly 'I just rolled out of bed and I don't give a shit' look Arizona loved. She really wanted to run her fingers through it right now. _So, so hot._

"Were you planning on standing outside my door all night or do you want to go eat?" Callie asked as her eyes roamed Arizona's body. She couldn't help but wonder what her body looked like under those bright blue skinny jeans and tight white lacy tank top she was wearing. Not that the tank top left much to the imagination. Her blonde hair was swept up in intricate twists and curls, leaving her neck and shoulders exposed. Callie licked her lips at the thought of running her tongue along her favorite spot where neck meets shoulder. _Stop it!_

"Eat, I want to eat." Arizona smiled, stood on her tip toes and kissed Callie on the cheek.

"Well, let's go then." Callie turned to yell back into the apartment, "Cris, I'm leaving!"

"Okay! I'm going to be at Owens tonight, so the apartment is free for any hanky panky. Just not on the couch again! I don't want to get in trouble for stealing sanitizer from the shop again." Cristina yelled back from the depths of her bedroom.

Arizona looked at Callie, who looked embarrassed. She decided to ignore the couch comment. "Who's Owen?"

"Her boyfriend."

"That woman has a boyfriend?" Arizona was shocked. Whoever would date Cristina must be one interesting fellow.

"I know, right?" Callie laughed. "And he's a pretty decent guy too." She took Arizona's hand and led them down the stairs. "You're not seriously taking me out in that thing, are you?" She said pointing at Arizona's Mini Cooper.

"What? What's wrong with it?"

"There is no way I'm going to be seen around town in that clown car. Come on, I'll drive." She heard Arizona huff as she pulled her toward the street where her car and motorcycle were parked. "Car or bike?"

Arizona looked at the dark purple Jackpot Callie was pointing at and burst out laughing. "Really? What no Harley? And the color is very lesbian of you."

"Hey! Rude!" Callie tried to be offended, but smiled at Arizona's teasing smirk.

"Let's take the bike. I want to make sure you can handle that thing."

"Let me go get you a helmet. You sure? Don't want to mess up your pretty hair and there's no bitch bar, so you'll have to hold on tight." Callie winked at Arizona and headed back upstairs to get her extra helmet, while Arizona went to grab her jacket out of her car. She came back downstairs and handed the helmet to Arizona. "Here this should fit. You ready?" Callie asked as she slid her long right leg over the seat.

Arizona carefully fit the helmet over her hair as she watched Callie adjust herself on the bike. The look of the powerful bike under the hot Latina did funny things to Arizona's insides. _This is so worth messing up my hair_. "Yup, ready! Permission to board?"

"You're such a dork. Hop on." Callie held the bike steady as she felt the smaller woman grab her shoulder and center herself behind her in one swift movement. Callie was impressed. Usually her passengers have a rough go at it and she would struggle to keep them upright. That is why she usually prefers to ride alone. "Ready?" Arizona nodded and Callie put her helmet on and zipped up her jacket. "Tap my shoulder twice of you need me to pull off or three times if you want me to slow down. I'm assuming you know how to ride two up without killing us?"

Arizona rolled her eyes as if to say duh, but remembered that Callie couldn't see her. "Yes, Calliope." Callie went to start the bike, but Arizona stopped her. "Wait!" she took off her helmet, signaling for Callie to do the same. The brunette turned in her seat and looked at her quizzically. Arizona grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her slowly to her lips. Callie moved her hand up to cradle Arizona's face, rubbing her thumb over the softness of her cheek. The kiss started off slow and deliberate, softly exploring each others lips. When Arizona lightly nipped the brunette's bottom lip it turned needy and sloppy as the hand that was on Arizona's cheek moved to the back of her neck and pulled her in impossibly closer. They alternated from tasting each others tongues to nibbling lips until they had to pull back completely breathless. It was a miracle Callie's strong legs were able to keep them upright. "I'm sorry, I couldn't wait any longer to kiss you."

"You definitely don't have to apologize for that." Callie said giving the blonde a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth and then one on each cheek. She used her thumb to wipe off her red lipstick off Arizona's swollen pink lips. Arizona peeked her tongue out to lightly lick the tip of the thumb rubbing slowly across her lips. Callie looked up to meet mischievous sparkling blue eyes. "Arizona... don't tease me if you don't plan on following through."

Arizona could see the want in Callie's eyes. She was suddenly very aware of the close proximity of their bodies. Callie was resting comfortably between her spread legs on the bike. "Who says I wasn't planning on following through?"

Callie watched as Arizona's eyes shifted from sparkling to pure lust. "Do you have any idea what those eyes do to a woman? I bet you get that a lot."

"No, not really." Arizona blushed furiously. She was telling the truth since she never really put herself in situations to receive such attention.

"Well, I don't believe you. They are dangerous. I think we really should get going or I won't be able to control myself anymore." At Arizona's okay, Callie started the engine. The feel of the bike starting up under them did nothing to calm the fire smoldering deep within their bodies. Arizona gripped Callie's hips with her hands as the brunette shifted and slowly moved forward adjusting to the extra weight and making sure she didn't lose the blonde off the back. Once they were sure, Callie sped off down the street. When they were up to speed and on a straight road, Arizona gave Callie a thumbs and got one in return. She hugged Callie just below her breasts and rested her head on her broad shoulders, careful not to hurt her with her helmet. Both women sighed with contentment. Arizona found the way that Callie handled the bike was a huge turn on. It was like she was part of the machine. She squeezed Callie's hips with her legs. Having the brunette in between her legs didn't help much either. _Maybe this was a bad idea._

Callie was surprised at how well Arizona and her melded together as one on the ride. It was like they've been doing this together for years. She was enjoying having the blonde wrapped around her back. Callie was happy nobody could see the big goofy grin that she couldn't wipe off her face if she tried. When she saw their turn off to East Main Street, she tapped the blonde's knee to signal she needed to pay attention, since this road was so curvy. Arizona reluctantly unwrapped her arms and re-gripped the luscious hips in front of her and went back to watching the road.

When they arrived at Southridge Restaurant, Callie cut the power and told Arizona it was okay to hop off. Arizona took off her helmet to discover her hair didn't look too bad. They walked across the parking lot hand in hand and went inside wearing matching grins. Callie was happy to be going out and not having to hide the fact she's on a date with a woman. Arizona used to go here with her grandmother when she was a little girl and was excited to be here again. "Hey Callie! Long time no see! You used to come here with those rowdy friends of yours all the time, then you disappeared off the planet. How are you?" the mousy hostess greeted them as soon as they opened the door.

"I've been good. You?" Callie didn't really want to talk about where she's been.

"Good, good. The kids have been keeping me busy. So, two?"

"Yeah, sorry! This is my..." _Shit what is she? date? girlfriend? friend? lesbian fantasy? Was Arizona open about dating women?_

Arizona could tell Callie was struggling and decided to help her out. She stuck her hand out, "I'm her date, Arizona Robbins."

"Oh my god, you own that new bakery, Right? I'm Ashley by the way." Arizona smiled proudly and nodded. "We went there the other day and everything was so good! My daughter's birthday is next month, so I'll be ordering a cake from you. She's so excited! Can you do a princess cake?"

"Yeah we can pretty much do anything. Just come by and we'll figure it out."

"Great! I'll bring her by this week. Follow me. I got a semi-private booth open." Ashley led them to the back corner of the restaurant and they sat down opposite each other in the booth. "Can I get you two a drink?"

"Yes, please. Shock Top on tap." Callie looked at Arizona who nodded at her. "Make that a pitcher." The two women watched Ashley run off to get their beer.

Arizona turned to Callie, "She seems nice."

"Yeah, she's alright. Do you want to share a pizza?"

"Definitely!" Arizona remembered that this place has the best pizza in the world. "Artichoke hearts, chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and white sauce okay?"

"That's perfect." Callie said surprised the blonde picked exactly what she liked. They sat in a comfortable since, while the waited for their drinks.

"So, why tattooing?" Arizona asked abruptly.

Callie thought about her answer for a minute. "I've always found them beautiful and a great way to self express. I majored in business in college and minored in Art-"

"You went to college?" Arizona interrupted.

Callie laughed, "Don't sound so surprised! Yes, my dad wanted me to have a degree and I thought why not? It couldn't hurt. If it were up to me, I would have just done art. I've always been good in it. Anyways, I really wasn't sure what to do with my life after that and then an apprenticeship sort of just fell into my lap. I was hooked ever since. I love creating things with clients and making them happy. It can be challenging, but that's part of the fun. There is usually always a good story behind each piece. I now have the luxury of being able to pick and choose what I do. It's a great outlet for my art and it's something that makes me happy."

"Is that how you met Mark and Cristina?"

"No, Mark and I met when we were kids and Cristina was my college roommate. They both sort of followed me into tattooing."

"Wow, no wonder why you and Mark seem pretty close."

"Yeah, he's pretty much my brother. We've been through everything together. What about you? Why do you do what you do?"

"A lot of the same reasons as you, actually. It's a great outlet for my art too and it makes people happy. I mean, my family has been doing it my whole life, so it was almost a given that I'd go into it too. I was never pressured though. It's fun expressing myself onto cake. People mostly always come in for happy occasions. Weddings, birthdays, baby showers, wedding showers, and so on. There's a lot of joy in it. I really love it." Arizona smiled brightly. Callie and her had a lot more in common than she thought. "What do your parents think of it?"

Callie snorted, "They hate it. As far as their concerned, they only have one daughter left and it isn't me."

Arizona could see the hurt in Callie's expressive eyes, but they were interrupted by a short balding man bringing them their beer before she could ask any more questions. "Callie! Oh my goodness. Ashley said you showed your face, but I had to come see for myself. Where have you been?"

"Um, hey Ryan. I've been around. This is Arizona Robbins, my date." She smiled at the word date. "Arizona, this is Ryan. We went to high school together."

Arizona and Ryan exchanged 'nice to meet yous'. "So, you two ready to order?" They ordered their pizza and two garden salads. Ryan continued to stand at their table awkwardly. "Really Callie, it's been months since any of us have seen you. What gives?"

"I got busy." Callie's was getting mad and prayed he would leave them alone before he asked anymore questions.

"You were always busy and still always made time to come in for pizza and drinks."

_Oh my god, leave! _"Yeah well..."

Arizona had watched Callie get more and more uncomfortable. She gave Ryan her most charming dimpled smile and put her hand on his arm. "Ryan, shouldn't you go put our order in? I'm getting pretty hungry."

"Oh right! Oh course!" He sputtered and turned to leave, tripping over his own feet before making it to the kitchen.

"Look at what your dimples did to that poor man!" Callie laughed. "You're evil."

Arizona turned her smile towards Callie, "Yeah, but you love it."

"That I do." It was Callie's turn to be flustered.

"You seem popular around here." Arizona wasn't sure if she should approach this conversation, but curiosity won out.

Callie's face grew serious. "Yeah the guys and I used to come here at least twice a week, but that stopped about a year ago now."

"Why'd you stop?"

"Um..." Callie hesitated, _No hiding, Torres. _She sighed, "My last relationship was a mess. She wasn't out and was too afraid people would think she was gay if people saw her with me. We would either go to Joe's or stay home. Sometimes we'd go out other places, but she never would hold my hand or kiss me or really come near me. It's not like I'm really into PDA, but I like a little attention at least. Erica, my ex, controlled everything in my life, and then she cheated on me. The end. That's all I want to talk about it for now. I'm on a date with you. I don't want to ruin it with crazy ex talk." Callie was afraid to look at Arizona. She didn't want to see the same pity in her eyes she always gets from people. There was a minute of awkward silence as she drew designs with her finger in the condensation on her glass. She felt the bench shift next to her and a warm body press against her. A small strong hand on her cheek forced her to turn her head.

"Calliope, look at me." Callie looked up to see that Arizona's intense blue eyes didn't show pity at all. It looked more like understanding. Arizona leaned in to kiss Callie's pouty lips. "She's an idiot. She didn't know how lucky she was to have a woman like you. You're beautiful and perfect. Trust me, I know exactly how lucky I am that you even look at me. I promise to never hide you. In fact, I plan on showing you off to the whole world as often as possible. Okay?"

"Okay." Callie said softly. Callie was trying really hard not to cry. That would be very unbadass like. Arizona kissed her hard and quick, then stood up to go back to her side of the booth.

"Besides, I have my own crazy ex stories, so I understand. But we can save that for the next date."

"We just started this date, you already want another one? Greedy, much?" Callie teased. She was happy to steer their conversation to happier topics.

"Oh I plan on wanting lots more dates!" Arizona said with a little clap and hop in her seat. "Lots and lots!"

Callie smiled at Arizona's cuteness. "Me too." They were again interrupted by Ryan bringing them their salads. "Thanks Ryan!" He scurried off without making eye contact or saying anything. Arizona looked at Callie with a guilty look on her face. "Nice, Arizona. Well, maybe he'll leave me alone now."

They fell into an effortless conversation as they ate. Each sharing snippets of their likes and dislikes. Arizona told Callie a little about her family and their business back in New York and Callie told her more about the animal sanctuary and her friends. They had an unspoken agreement not to talk about Callie's parents or Arizona's brother. At least not yet. After their food was long gone and the restaurant cleared out, they decided that Callie should take Arizona back to her car, since she had work early the next morning. Arizona had arranged for April to come in earlier, so she could be a little later, but it would still be early. The two women said bye to Ashley and Ryan, both promising to come back soon.

Arizona clung to Callie's back as she came to a stop in front of her apartment. Her hands gripped the soft leather of Callie's jacket and she buried her face in the hair in front of her and inhaled the scent that was uniquely Callie. She didn't want to leave yet. Reading Arizona's mind, Callie took a chance. "You can just stay here tonight, you know. The company is great and the commute to work is ideal. Cristina is gone, so it would just be you, Tinkerbell, and me. I have cake, though you're probably caked out. Ooo and I have wine! I'm not sure what kind. We're more the beer and liquor type. I'm not sure you want that though." Callie rambled on, desperate to get the blonde to stay.

"What in the world is a Tinkerbell?"

"She's me cat." Callie said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Seriously? Tinkerbell?"

"She's 16 years old. I named her when I was a kid. Give me a break." Callie smiled fondly. She really loved that dumb cat.

"I don't remember seeing a cat when I was here the other night."

"She tends to hide when Cristina is around."

"Smart cat!"

"Arizona, you're deflecting. Please come up."

"I think that would be a very bad idea."

"What are you talking about? I think it's a great idea!" _Please, please, please?_

"If I stay, I don't think I would be able to control myself."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Callie raised her eyebrows at her. After not receiving an answer, she tried something else. She grabbed both of Arizona's hands, bring them to her mouth and placing a soft kiss on the blonde's knuckles. "Pretty please? We'll just talk and sleep. Promise." She was pouting now.

"Calliope..." Callie looked so adorable pouting. She didn't know how to say no. Arizona really wanted to stay. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to control herself if she did though. _Callie is right, is it really a bad thing?_ This entire date has been nothing but hours of foreplay and she was on edge. It didn't help that she hasn't had sex in more years than she would like to admit. It also didn't help that the sexiest woman alive was in front of her more than willing. Arizona leaned forward to kiss the brunette's pouting lips. _God, she's an amazing kisser._ She thought about all the kisses she's ever shared in her life. There were good, bad, and okay ones, but none compared to the few she shared with Callie. She felt their kisses with her entire body and mind. They were all consuming. She stepped back and locked eyes with Callie. The brunette was shifting back and forth on her feet, not-so patiently waiting for her answer. The glow of the street lights shined off Callie's raven hair and made her skin glow. _She's breathtaking. _Arizona slowly came to the realization that Callie was exactly what she needed to have in her life, hopefully forever. "Okay, I'll stay!"

_Yes!_

* * *

**So, will they or won't they? Hmm... ;)_  
_**


	11. Chapter 11: I thought it was made up

Note: So, a whopping three of you guys shared my opinion on this, so I had to go against the majority. Sorry dudes!

I'm trying the copy and paste option for the first time from my iPhone here, so I don't have to drive to my mom's to post this. Cross your fingers it works! Well, if you are seeing this, it did work! So, feel free to uncross your fingers now.

Oh and a health warning- beware of the fluff at the end of this chapter. It's ridiculous.

* * *

Arizona tapped her finger tip on her own bottom lip as she sat on Callie's couch waiting for the brunette to come back from the kitchen with drinks. She could still feel the kiss they shared earlier tingling on her lips and didn't know what to think of it. She also could feel the eyes on her. Callie stood in the doorway of her kitchen silently watching the blonde sit deep in thought. She sensed that Arizona'a mind was miles away. They had just come up from the street after their date and decided to have a couple of drinks. Callie watched Arizona's contemplative face for a few more minutes before interrupting her thoughts. "What are you thinking about? It looks serious." She walked over and sat down on the couch handing Arizona a beer.

"I was just thinking..." Arizona continued to tap her lips. She was a little embarrassed by her thoughts. Callie sat patiently waiting for her to continue. They haven't known each other long, but she has learned that if she waits out the blonde and lets her process, she'll get her answer eventually. "It's just that..." Arizona paused again. "I didn't know. I thought it was made up." She sat back on the couch, crossed her legs, and looked expectantly at Callie.

_Okay, now I'm confused._ "Um... what?"

"The butterflies, the sparks, the tingles, the dizziness, the weak knees, the world fading out around you. I thought all that was made up. Like a fairytale. It just exists to give young girls false hope." Arizona looked nervously at Callie. It would kill her if she didn't feel it too. She was having a hard time deciphering the look on Callie's face.

Callie was speechless. She knew exactly what Arizona meant, but had no idea how to respond. _Callie, say something! You're freaking her out._ "Uh..." _Smooooth, as usual._

A deep blush crept up the blonde's face as Callie continued to study her. Arizona did the only thing she could think of to get the brunette to stop staring at her. She leaned forward, cupped Callie's face, and pulled her in for a heated tantalizing kiss. It was soft and sensual. Both woman felt it everywhere, especially in their rapidly beating hearts and their pants. Arizona pulled back a hairs width, lips not quite touching. They could feel the others heavy hot breaths against their lips. She leaned back a little more. Just enough to look into chocolate brown eyes. "I know you feel it too." She whispered against the brunette's lips.

Callie nodded, "I do." Her electric smile mirroring Arizona's.

"I didn't believe it was real, because I've kissed a lot of women before. I mean a lot! Even one guy. That was just... yuck!" Callie laughed at the look of pure disgust on Arizona's face. "But I have never ever felt any of these things before. Not even with my ex-girlfriend of three years. There were ones I thought were pretty amazing, but I was wrong. So, so wrong." Arizona rambled. "I'm sorry, you must think I'm a dork. I'll stop." _Yikes, Arizona._

"I don't think you're a dork. Well, kind of, but not because of that. I understand what you mean." Callie smiled assuredly, "I've never felt it before either."

The two woman sat in comfortable silence lost in their own thoughts. They sat facing towards the wall, opposite the couch. Each had small smiles on their lips as they stole sideways glances of the other. _Where do we go from here?_

"So lots of women, huh?" Callie broke the silence.

"Do you really want to go there, Calliope? Because I've heard things about you, you know? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"Do you want some cake?" Callie stood up suddenly walking towards the kitchen. "I still have some of that one you gave me. It's amazing by the way, but I'm sure you already know that."

Arizona laughed at Callie's abrupt change of subject. "Sure, I'd love some."

Callie came back with the box and a fork. She took a piece with the fork and fed it to Arizona before taking a bite for herself. "Mmm still as good as before. How do you do it?"

"That's a family secret, Calliope. I don't know if I can trust you with it."

"Pffft fine, don't tell me. I'd ruin it anyway. I can cook, but I cant bake. Baking is too exact and conformed. That's not me." She fed Arizona another bite.

"Yeah, well I can't cook, like at all, so we make a good pair." She watched Callie eat another bite of and licked her lips at the sight.

"We really do." Callie and Arizona grinned widely at each other. "You never told me how your opening and first week went."

"It's been awesome! The people in this town are so great. We've received nothing but positive feedback. It's a lot of hard work, but totally worth it. Moving here was the best decision I've ever made."

Callie didn't miss the double meaning behind the blonde's comment. "I agree." They finished up the rest of the cake and fell into another silence. "Are you tired? I know you got up early today and have to do it again tomorrow." Arizona slightly nodded at her. "Okay, let me put this stuff in the kitchen. Be right back."

Arizona stood up and stood awkwardly by the couch. _What do I do now? I have no pjs. Am I supposed to go to her room or stay on the couch? Did I agree to sex by coming up here? She did say just talk and sleep. What do I want? Oh god, I'm not ready for this. Breath, Arizona, breath._

Callie watched Arizona's panic rise from across the room. _Please don't run again_. She needed to close the distance between them, but she felt a mile away. When she reached the shaking blonde she enveloped her in a tight hug. "Whoa, whoa, whoa what's wrong?"

"I..." Something inside Arizona snapped and she attacked Callie's lips with her own. Callie was so shocked she didn't respond at first. She quickly recovered and kissed the blonde with just as much passion. She could taste the sugary frosting still on her lips. Arizona started to kiss along Callie's jaw and down towards her neck, while pulling at the bottom of her shirt. "You taste so good!" She removed her lips from delicious carmel skin as the brunette raised her arms enough to let Arizona lift off her shirt.

"You like?" Callie smirked at the look of awe the blonde was giving her.

"Wow..." Her cheeks flushed _Whew, it's been awhile since I've seen a woman like this_. "Yes, very much. You're miraculous, Calliope Torres."

It was Callie's turn to blush. She's had woman look at her body in many different ways over the years, but the way those intense blue eyes was admiring her in this moment was different. She shivered as Arizona softly ran her hand along the brunette's soft stomach and along her ribs. The blonde's brow furrowed as she used her finger tips to outline the Bodhi tree that took up the side of her rib cage. Callie didn't say anything. She'd explain if she asked. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly as she felt the soft, but strong fingers move painfully slow up her side, to her arm, and along her shoulder blade. She felt the fingers wrap around the back of her neck and force her forward crashing her lips into the blondes. Arizona's kiss was needy and it grew more desperate the more Callie responded. Tounges battled for control. Heat rose around them. They both moaned into each others mouths when strong hands cupped Arizona's firm ass, pulling her in tighter. Callie tapped the back of Arizona's thighs signaling for the blonde to hop up and wrap her legs around Callie's waist. The blonde didn't realize they were moving until she was roughly pushed up against the wall.

Arizon tangled her fingers in the long raven hair she's been wanting to touch all night. The rough tugging of her hair both pleasured and hurt the brunette. Callie broke the kiss and Arizona immediately started giving open mouthed kisses along her naked shoulder, causing the brunette to growl deeply. "Ari... Arizona! Bed... bedroom." Callie was breathless. Arizona reattached their lips, released her legs and pushed Callie towards the hallway. They groaned as they bounced off hallway walls, fighting for dominance. Arizona won when they entered the bedroom and had Callie spread out on her back before the Latina even realized what was happening. The blonde quickly climbed on top of her, their kisses growing more ravenous. Callie enjoyed the feel of the weight against her bare stomach, but she desperately needed skin on skin contact. She ran her hands down Arizona's spine and fingered the hem of her shirt. She felt the woman on top of her stiffen and she pulled away from their kiss to look at Arizona's face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's fine." Arizona leaned back down to capture hot red lips. The kiss grew almost frantic and the blonde's hands were all over the Latina's warm body. Arizona's mouth moved down to Callie's throat, leaving a hot trail of little licks up to her ear lobe, back down to her mouth.

The way Arizona was savagely kissing and touching her alarmed Callie. Normally it would turn her on more, but something was off. If was like she was almost trying too hard. Callie ran her hands under Arizona's shirt, moving them up to cup her bra covered breasts, but the woman stiffened on top of her before she made contact. Something was definitely up. She tapped the blonde's back. "Arizona, stop. We-" Arizona shut her up by shoving her toungue into the depths of her mouth. Callie moaned, "Mmmm, god." Callie placed both her hands against Arizona's shoulders and gently pushed, pulling there mouths apart with a soft pop. "Wait, I said stop!" Arizona looked down at her with a questioning look. Callie could see the hesitant detached look in those baby blue eyes. "You don't want to do this." It was more a statement then a question. She pushed Arizona off of her so that they laid side by side on the bed on their backs. They stared at the ceiling panting, still trying to catch their breaths. _Whew it's hot in here! I'm going to need a cold shower stat._

"I do want this." Arizona didn't know what she wanted.

"No, no you don't. What are you doing?" Callie sought out Arizonas hand and intertwined their fingers, resting them on her stomach.

"I..." Arizona's face fell. "I thought you wanted me. I thought it was what you wanted."

"Of course I want you! More than I have ever wanted anyone else." Callie turned her head to look at Arizona's profile. "There's somethig else going on here, isn't there?"

"I want you too, Calliope, I really, really do. I just can't get out of my head. I thought I was ready. I'm so, so sorry."

Callie could see the tears pooling in her blue eyes. It made them look like the ocean. She lifted her free hand to Arizona's cheek and forced her to turn her head. "Shhh, it's okay. I said we'd go slow, so we'll go slow." She lightly kissed her cheek and they locked eyes. Callie brushed a piece of blonde hair out of Arizona's dejected face. "You're always so beautiful , but you're more beautiful when you smile. What to prove me right?" Arizona smiled slightly at her. "Yup, I was right. I'm always right." Callie said cockily. That caused the blonde to laugh and smile bigger, dimples and all. They continued to look in each others eyes in a peaceful silence for a few minutes. "What are you so afraid of, Arizona?" Callie whispered. She didn't want to make the blonde run again, but she also didn't want to walk around eggshells around her.

"I can't really explain it. I don't want to get too attached and lose you." Arizona looked back at the ceiling.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." This was getting frustrating for Callie, she had no idea how to prove that she wasn't going to hurt Arizona.

"I'm not running, you know." Arizona tried to assure Callie she wasn't going anywhere either.

"I know." Callie watched as the blonde growled and rolled onto the floor with a loud thud. "What the fuck, Arizona are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just had to get away from you."

"Hey! I'm not that bad." Callie laughed as she moved to the side of the bed so she could see Arizona. The blonde was on her back with her arms covering her eyes.

"That's the problem! I needed to think. I swear your body being so close to me makes me drop IQ points."

Callie smirked. She loves having that effect on this woman. _Serves her right, since she does the same to me._

"Can I tell you a secret?"

_Uh oh. Now what?_ "Of course, you can tell me anything." Callie said trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Arizona hesitated. _God this is embarrassing._ "I haven't had sex in like five years."

Callie's eyes bugged out of her head and she was glad that Arizona couldn't see her face. _Why? How? What?_ Callie couldn't imagine going without sex for that long. "Is that what the problem is here?"

"I think it's part of it." Arizona knew Callie wanted to ask why, but she also respected her boundaries.

"Okay." _Yikes, that's a lot of pressure_.

"I dont deserve you, you know?" Arizona sat up on her elbows and smiled up at Callie.

Callie grinned back, "I don't deserve you either. Now will you get back up here. I miss you. Or are we sleeping on the floor tonight?"

Arizona stood up and asked for some pajamas. Once the two women had changed, brushed their their teeth, and splashed very cold water on their faces, they climbed into bed. Callie clicked off the light and settled in on her back.

"Ahhhh!" Arizona yelled out when she felt something large and heavy land on her stomach. "Ow! What the hell?"

Callie turned the light back on and burst out laughing when she saw what made Arizona scream. "Awww, Tink! Did that mean lady scare you?" She picked the cat up and rubbed her face on her beloved fluffy Maine coon. "Don't worry, Tinky baby, I'll protect you."

"You have got to be kidding me, she's the one that attacked me!" Arizona glared at the cat who glared back at her from Callie's arms.

"Arizona, she's a cat. She doesn't know what she's doing."

"I beg to differ! She looks like she wants to murder me." Arizona huffed and crossed her arms.

Callie couldn't help but laugh at how Arizona and Tink were glaring at each other. "Let's try again." She held up Tinkerbell's little paw. "Tink, meet Arizona. Arizona this is Tinkerbell, my baby."

"Do you actually expect me to shake hands with a cat?" Arizona couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Callie was being so adorable with the animal. It seemed so unlike the badass brunette.

"Yes." Callie managed to keep a straight face. She wondered if the blonde would actually do it, just because she asked. Even if it was ridiculous. "You guys have to get along."

"Fine!" She grabbed the fluffy cat's soft paw and shook it up an down praying she didn't scratch up her decorating hand. "Nice to meet you Tinkerbell. You sure are cute!"

"Tinkerbell says 'ditto, especially the cute part'" She bent down to whisper in the cats ear just loud enough for Arizona to hear. "Tink, we really like Arizona, so be nice."

"Oh, so you understand cats too."

"Yeah, she says whatever I want her to say. It's very convenient to my needs." Callie handed Tinkerbell to Arizona, hoping they wouldn't hate each other.

"Yeah, I bet!" Arizona cuddled the cat to her chest and Tinkerbell started to purr. "Aww she likes me!"

"Of course she does. What's not to like. Though I am a little jealous she gets boob cuddles and I didn't." Callie dodged Arizona's arm that was about to hit her shoulder. "Hey, no violence!" She reached over to turn the light off again.

Arizona laid on her side still cuddling Tinkerbell in her arms. She felt Callie come up to her back and take both the blonde and the cat into her arms, squeezing tight. Tinkerbell's purrs grew louder. "I'd be purring too, if I knew how." Arizona said sleepily.

Callie smiled at her two girls in her arms. "Sweet dreams, Mariposa." She kissed the back of Arizona's head inhaling the now familiar scent of oranges and vanilla.

Arizona woke up smiling in Callie's arms a few hours later and quietly crawled out of bed. It has been many years since she has woken up smiling like that. She was running late and didn't have time to shower. Callie was still dead to the world and Tink was sleeping on top of the covers in between Callie's legs. She smiled down at the sight. _Great, I'm jealous of a cat._ Arizona wished more than anything that she could stay in bed with the two, but duty called. She went downstairs still dressed in the clothes Callie gave her for pajamas. She was hoping to sneak in through the back door and change into her uniform before she was noticed.

"Blondie, is that you?"

Arizona jumped at the booming voice. _Of course..._ "Hey Mark..." She knew how this looked. Sneaking out of Callie's apartment, in boxer shorts and a ratty old tshirt, at the butt crack of dawn. Judging by the smirk she was receiving from the man, this wasn't going to go well for her at all. "What are you doing up so early? And why are you here?"

"I think you mean what am I doing up so late and why are YOU here?" Mark eyed her up and down. "Because that looks an awful lot like the shirt I bought Cal at the carnival when we were kids after she vomited all over herself on one of the rides."

"That's none of your business and I asked you first." Arizona crossed her arms over her chest. She was sure Mark was staring at her boobs.

"I was at Joe's and decided to crash here instead of going all the way home."

"Joe's closed hours ago."

"We sometimes stay after hours to play poker. The perks of knowing the owner. I answered your questions, now you have to answer mine."

"We got home kind of late after out date, so I slept here."

"Oh you 'slept' here huh?" He grinned at her lecherously.

_Gross_. Arizona was creeped out by the way he was looking at her and really wanted to get out of there ASAP. "Well, it's been a pleasure, Mark. I have to go work now." He just grinned at her and started up the stairs. "Oh, wait! Can you bring something up there for Callie when she wakes up?"

"Wore her out, huh?"

"Shut up! Will you?"

"Sure." He followed her into the bakery, watching her ass move in the small shorts that showed off perfect long legs.

"Stop perving, Mark, or I'm telling Callie."

Mark gulped and looked away. He did not want his fiery friend upset with him. They walked into the bakery through the back door and saw that Alex and Lexie were already hard at work. When Lexie turned to see who was coming in, she dropped the small container of luster dust she was holding, causing a big mess on her shoes, pants, and floor. "Shit! Shit!" She blushed as Mark started to come towards her.

"Hey Lex, I had fun at the bar last night, you?"

"Um, yeah, yeah, lots of fun." She stuttered out embarrassed by her reaction.

"Mark! Stop distracting my employees. Lexie, clean that up, please." Arizona walked over to Mark with a small bag and a note. "Make sure Callie gets these, thanks. Now leave." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Nice to see you Lex. I'll see you later?" Lexie nodded at him and he left.

"Dude what are you wearing?"

"Good morning to you too, Karev."

"No, seriously. What are you wearing?"

Arizona ignored him and went to the bathroom to change before jumping in to work. _Well, that plan completely backfired._

* * *

"Oh hey, Mark." It was four hours later and Callie had just woken up to find Mark sitting on her couch. It happened more often than not, so she didn't really need to ask questions. She had woken up about an hour ago, but stayed in bed thinking about how to spend more time with Arizona. "What do you think about driving out to the beach on Monday? We can invite Arizona and Lexie. Maybe Cristina and Owen?"

"Really?" That did not sound like fun to him at all.

"Yeah! Imagine Arizona and Lexie in bikinis, sitting by a fire, drinking beer, good food..."

"Yeah, I'm in." Mark Sloan does not turn down girls in bikinies.

"Okay, I'll set it up. You'll have to drive though, since you can seat six." She spotted the small bag with the Awesome Bakery logo on it and the note addressed to 'Calliope' sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "What's this?"

"You'll never guess who I ran into taking the walk of shame out of your apartment this morning."

Callie grinned and smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up and wipe that dirty grin off your face. Nothing happened. She just slept here."

"Yeah, right Cal, you never take this long to get into a girl's pants and you always tell me details. I'm hurt. What gives?"

"I'm not lying. We're taking it slow." She grabbed the bag and found an almond croissant inside. "Yum!" She took a bite and read the note.

_Calliope, you and Tink looked so cute this morning, I didn't have the heart to wake you. Thank you for last night. Enjoy your breakfast. - A xox_

Mark watched Callie stare into space as she ate her croissant. "That must be one amazing pastry, if it makes you smile like that. What are you thinking about?"

"My date with Arizona last night."

"That good?"

"Mark, it was amazing! I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Is it too soon? I know with Erica it was too soon. Everything was too fast. I don't want to do that again, but this feels so completely different."

"Wait, if you're not lying, then you haven't slept with her yet, right?" Mark was surprised Callie brought up Erica. That was usually a big no-no these past few months. Just her taking that step was a huge deal.

"Yeah, so?"

"Then, yes it's too soon. What if you have no sexual chemistry? You don't want a dud. You'll have to break up with her. That would be awkward."

"Trust me, there is plenty of chemistry. No problem there." Callie went back to staring into space for a minute. "I'm going to do it!" She knew she would probably be taking most of the risks with Arizona, but she was okay with it. She played it safe with Erica and Erica ended up walking all over her. Look how that turned out.

"Good for you, Torres." He was really happy for her and liked Arizona way more than Erica. He prayed that this would work out. "How are you going to do it?"

"Do I have to do it in a special way? It's not like I'm proposing. I have never asked anyone to be my girlfriend before though." She smiled at the thought of proposing to the blonde. _Woah, slow down there Torres._ "Erica just never left and it was assumed after awhile and you know I never got that far with anyone else."

"No, but I'm just bored."

"I'm not here to entertain you!" Tinkerbell came in the room and yawned. "Morning Tink! Rough night?" The cat just looked towards her voice, then continued on to her food bowl. Callie smiled at the cat and turned to Mark, "I got the best idea!" Arizona was special even if the blonde didn't believe it, so she'll get something special. Callie was still on her mission to woo the blonde.

* * *

Arizona entered her house completely exhausted. Her business was really picking up already and she was running on fumes. _I should really think about hiring another employee._ Her ears perked up at the sound of a soft thud coming from somewhere within the house. "Hello?" she called out. _Crap that wasn't the right thing to do. I've seen enough horror movies to know that! Just remember to run out the door and not up the stairs if the time comes_. She looked around for a weapon and found nothing. "I have a knife!" Arizona crept down her hall, listening for more noises. She heard another thud coming from behind the closed bathroom door directly to her left. _That's weird, who closed that?_ "Okay, come out! My knife and I are waiting!" _I really should have thought through the knife thing. What if I actually need one? _She decided she should call somebody before doing anything else. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and saw she had an older text message from Callie that she had missed in her hurry to get home.

**Go straight home after work. Make sure to check your bathroom. I promise to replace whatever got destroyed. Don't be mad.**

Arizona frowned in confusion. That was by far one of the weirdest texts the blonde has ever received from anyone. She slowly opened the door and was greeted by a giant mess. Her towels were on the floor, the entire roll of toilet paper was unraveled, bottles were knocked off the counter, and the shower curtain was pretty much ruined. She heard a soft meow coming from the corner of the shower and quickly ran over to it, swooping up the kitten into her arms nuzzling his nose. "Sonny! When did you get here?" She asked the kitten as if him stopping by by himself was an everyday occurrence. "I missed you!" She looked around again and noticed a big bag of food, a box of litter, enough toys for an army of kittens, and a litter pan. "Looks like you plan on staying for awhile, huh?" She shifted the kitten in her arms and noticed he had a red color with a bell around his next. "Oh, look how handsome you are!" She stroked his chin as he purred and then she noticed the piece of paper tucked into the collar. "How in the world did you manage to not destroy this too?"

_Arizona-_

_I thought Sonny would bring a smile to your face and some love to your heart. I know it's kind of presumptuous of me to assume you wanted to have a kitten to take care, but you two seemed to connect. I have a great back up home for him, so don't feel bad if you don't want to keep him. Also don't get scared. He is YOUR cat not OUR cat. Don't want to fall into anymore stereotypes for you to make fun of me for. _

_Callie_

_PS. Turn this over. _

Arizona smiled at the note and kissed Sonny's head. "I'm keeping you forever and ever don't let anyone take you away." The truth was that Arizona was already seriously thinking about going and adopting Sonny. She turned the note over and read the back.

_Arizona Robbins, will you be my girlfriend?_


	12. Chapter 12: I wanted ice cream

**_Warning, Warning:_ The beginning of this chapter has minor vulgar language, violence, physical, and verbal harassment of a woman. If that is not your thing and it is not what you came to this story for, please skip down past the large amount of obnoxious italics and start from there. It won't take away too much from the story if you skip it. You could probably even skip the entire chapter if you wanted**.

* * *

_"When are you going to flee the nest and open your own bakery, Lil Sis? You're more than ready. You know I'll help you!"_

_"I don't know, it doesn't seem like the right time. Lizzy has been hounding me about money and buying a place together instead of waisting our money on rent."_

_"Are you sure you want to do that? Seems like a big step."_

_"Yeah, I don't know. She does have a point though."_

_"Is she it for you? You love her?"_

_"I think so."_

_"Think? That isn't enough for me, Lil Sis. Does she still give you butterflies? Does the world fade around you when you kiss? Do you want to run down the street singing at the top of your lungs about how much you love her and not care who knows it?"_

_"Wow, Brother. Teddy has turned you into a lovesick goober. Where did my cool big brother go? I'm not so sure about this guy."_

_"You haven't answered my questions."_

_"Come on. You know all that mushy crap isn't for real."_

_"It is too! I'm living it! Im guessing that means no. Arizona, she's no good for you. She's a bitch. Everyone sees it but you. You deserve someone who treats you like the little princess you are. Someone who goes out of her way to do cheesy things to show you how much she cares. Trust me, I'm your big brother, I know these things. Oh and she should be hot! Lizzy's just okay. Maybe a solid 6. You deserve a 10."_

_Arizona laughed and hit her brother, "Hey that's my girlfriend you're talking about! Be nice." She perked up at familiar music coming from the street. "Ooo, Timmy ice cream!" _

_"I'll go get you some, wait here." Tim laughed at his sisters excitement and walked off. _

_Arizona sat down on a bench and waited for Tim to come back. She thought about what Tim said about Lizzy. Maybe he's right. "Hey hotty, that your boyfriend?" An unfamiliar scratchy low voice interrupted her thoughts. Arizona looked up to see three teenaged boys leering down at her. They immediately made her feel very uncomfortable. _

_"No, he's my brother."_

_"Oh, so you're free?"_

_"No, I have a girlfriend."_

_"A little dyke huh? That's okay, I can work with that." The tallest of the group leaned in to rub his finger down her face. _

_"Don't touch me!" Arizona yelled, smacking the guys hand and shoving him away from her. _

_"Ooooo the little lesbian thinks she's so tough, huh? How tough will you be when I shove my dick in you to show you what a real man feels like?" His friends laughed around him as if he just told the best joke. Arizona didn't see the humor in this situation. _

_Arizona ignored them praying her brother would be back soon. She looked around and realized the park was very much deserted, except for her and these three punks. She felt her wrist being grabbed and before she could pull away, she was thrown to the ground. "Hey bitch, don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!"_

_"Tim!"_

_"Hey! Leave her alone!" Tim came running up pulling the bigger guy off Arizona. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He put his arm around his trembling sister and started to lead her away. "Come on Lil Sis, let's go home."_

_"You really think we're just going to let you take that hot piece of ass away? She's mine. I found her."_

_"Don't talk about her that way, fuck off." Tim tried again to move pass them, but was stopped short when he saw what the kid had tucked into his waistband under his jacket. He hoped his sister hadn't seen it. Tim had to get her our of there. "Arizona run, go find help."_

_"No, I'm not leaving you!"_

_"Yeah, she's not going anywhere are you sweetheart?" The tall one stroked the side of her breast and it made her skin crawl. _

_"Arizona, go! Now!"_

_Arizona didn't know what to do. She wasn't leaving Tim and she didn't think these guys would let her anyway. She glanced around, but it was so dark, she couldn't see much. She spotted two police officers sitting in their patrol car way down the street illuminated by a street lamp. They were just out of view of the group. She prayed the officers would see what was going on, but they might be too hidden behind the darkness and trees. If only she could run fast enough and get their attention. It was her only hope. Before anyone could act, she took off running. She was smaller and quicker than the boys. The three guys didn't have a chance to grab her before she was gone. When she was about half way there, she heard more loud shouting and then three gun shots in a row. *POP POP POP* _

_"Timmy!" She turned back around and ran as fast as she could back towards her brother. The three thugs had already completely disappeared. She saw her brother on the ground covered in blood. "NO, NO, NO! TIM!" She was screaming now. There was so much blood. She desperately tried to apply pressure to his chest, but it was no use. "Timothy Robbins, open your eyes! Look at me! Don't do this! I love you! Say you love me too! Say it!" So, so much blood. It was all over her hands and clothes and all over the ground. She threw her body over her brother sobbing and begging him to say something. Do anything to show he was still alive. "Tim! You can't leave me! I need you! Teddy needs you! Mom and dad need you! Please!"_

_She felt strong arms pulling her off her brother. "Miss, you have to get off him. He's gone."_

_"No! Let me go! I have to save my brother! I can save him, I know I can." She was kicking and screaming against the strong body holding her back. _

* * *

"Why won't you let me go! Tim! Come back!" Arizona woke up from her nightmare screaming, sobbing, and drenched in sweat. She was tangled up in her covers and her pillows were thrown on the floor. She turned on her bedside lamp and looked around confused. It has been a long time since she's had that nightmare where the entirety of her last night with her brother played out like she was there again. _Why now?_ Her eyes landed on Sonny, who was cowering in the corner of her room. "Oh Sonny, did I scare you? Come here baby, I'm sorry." She held out her hand and he jumped on the bed. Arizona clung on to him as if her life depended on it. "I'm so sorry." She was breathing heavily, trying to get her tears to slow down. She laid back down and rested the kitten on her chest. He rubbed his head under her chin and pawed her mouth, trying to show her it was okay and that he was there. Arizona looked at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. Her therapist said she needed to talk to someone if this happened again, but who? Her parents? Teddy? _Callie_. There was really only one answer.

Arizona didn't know if she was ready to show Callie this part of her. This messed up broken part. She still hasn't even answered her kitten mail from earlier that night. When she read the question on the note, she had been completely shocked. Arizona had no idea that they were even close to that step. She does want to call Callie her girlfriend, but not yet. She had went to bed trying to think of the best way to tell Callie no. She was grateful Callie asked her in a way where she could think about it and not feel pressured to say yes. Arizona suspected Callie did that on purpose. She was also grateful Sonny was here, but a simple text would have worked. She was discovering that the brunette didn't do simple.

Arizona tried again to calm her breathing. She closed her eyes and tried to zone in on the soft purring from the kitten on her chest. _Calm, breath, just breath. I can do this by myself. I dont need anyone._ Her mind went back to her nightmare and she started sobbing again. _I have to call Callie. If she wants nothing to do with me after this, then at least I'll know sooner rather than later and then I can be done with it._ She reached out for her phone that was on the nightstand and dialed.

Callie was laying in bed wide awake. She hasn't heard anything from the blonde since this morning. She was trying to not get worried, especially since she prepared herself for a long wait. Callie had purposely made sure the blonde would have space to think and would feel no pressure to say yes. She was determined to let Arizona contact her first when she was ready. The waiting was killing her though. She stroked Tinkerbell's back as she thought of all the possibilities of what might happen. They both jumped when loud music pierced the air from her phone. She scrambled to find where she had left it and checked the caller id. She grinned widely at what she saw. _Arizona! That was faster than I thought._ Then she frowned. _What if she's calling to say no._ She stared at it afraid to answer. _Just answer it, moron!_

"Hello?" All she heard was heavy breathing and what she thought was crying. "Arizona?"

"Callie! They're still out there! They know I know what they look like! What if they find me?" Arizona sobbed into the phone.

"Arizona, I'll be right over, okay?" Callie thought she heard a soft 'okay' in response and hung up her phone. She grabbed her keys and the key to Arizona's house she had borrowed from Alex earlier. Not even bothering to change, she was out the door and in her car in less than a minute. She drove through town as fast as she could, probably breaking every law possible along the way. Callie pulled up to Arizona's large house, ran up to the door, and paused. She was a little nervous about what she would find inside. The blonde seemed really upset. _You can do this, Torres. She needs you. She reached out to you. She trusted you to help her. This is a huge step. _After her internal pep talk, she unlocked the door and looked around. It was mostly dark inside, but there was a light on somewhere deeper in the house that gave her just enought light to see. Callie had only been here once and that was to drop Sonny off earlier. She had left him in the first kitten friendly room she could find. Standing in the doorway now, the house seemed even bigger. She assumed her bedroom was upstairs, so she headed towards the staircase. She found the hall light switch and flipped it on. She squinted at the bright light that flooded the long hallway. She squinted and looked around. There were old family photos lining the walls. She smiled sadly at a photo of an adorable little girl and boy sitting under a Christmas tree beaming as they held up matching paint sets. They looked like they could have been twins. The matching dimples and sparkling blue eyes told her this must be Arizona and her brother. She blinked and looked around again, remembering why she was standing here in the first place. There were four doors on the left, three on the right, and one straight ahead. Most of the doors were open, so she was able to take a peek in those real quick. They were mostly empty bedrooms and one bathroom. Two were storage closets and one was a laundry room. There was no sign of Arizona. That left the last door at the end of the hall. She knocked lightly, "Arizona?" No answer.

She slowly opened the door and saw Arizona curled up in the middle of a king sized bed, clutching on to Sonny. The comforter, blankets, sheets, and pillows were spread out everywhere. The blonde seemed so small and helpless on top of the large bed. "Oh, baby what happened?" Callie whispered mostly to herself. She closed the bedroom door, throwing the room into darkness. She felt her way to the bed and ran her hand along it to located Arizona's body. There was still no noise coming from the blonde. Callie scooped her up in her arms, kitten and all, and hugged her as tight as she could. Arizona started sobbing again. Callie could feel the front of her t-shirt getting soaked through. "Its okay, Mariposa. Shhh. It's okay." _What am I saying, nothing about why she's like this is okay._ Callie continued to rock the crying woman for twenty minutes before the tears finally slowed down.

Arizona looked up at Callie through red eyes, "Calliope?" She seemed surprised to see her there all of a sudden.

"Yeah?"

"You came?" Arizona's voice had a mix of shock and awe.

"Of course I came."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. You want to talk about it?" Arizona shook her head no. "You want to let go of Sonny? I think your smothering him." Arizona's lips twitched a tiny bit upward for a second and she nodded. Callie tried to pry Sonny off her, but the kitten wouldn't budge. "Okay, Sonny stays. I think he loves you and is protecting you."

"I love him too. Thank you Calliope." Arizona's voice was quiet and raw from the crying.

"Do you want to try going back to sleep?" She saw Arizona's eyes go wide in fear. "Did you have a nightmare?" The blonde hesitate and then nodded slightly. "About your brother?" She didn't need Arizona to answer to know that's what it was about. She could see it in her eyes. Her bright blue irises that seemed to glow against the red of her eyes from crying. "Okay come here." Callie laid down on her right side, guiding the broken blonde to lay facing her in her arms. Sonny was wedged in between them. Callie lightly stroked Arizona's back and sang a soft Spanish lullaby in her ear.

With the help of Callie's protective warm embrace and soft angel's voice, Arizona was finally able to stop crying and get her breathing back to normal. "Do you really want to know?"

Callie jumped at the blonde's voice. She had thought she had fallen asleep. "I want to know what you feel comfortable telling me." They heard a soft meow from between them and looked down. Sonny was trying to wiggle his way out. Arizona kissed his head and let him go. He jumped onto the floor and went to his bed. He knew his job was done for now.

Arizona used the extra space to get as close to Callie as possible. She knew she was being clingy, but at this point she didn't care. "He left me alone for five minutes because I wanted ice cream..."

Callie listened in horror to Arizona tell the story of the night her brother was murdered. Her heart breaking over and over. She had heard the short version before from shop talk, but never any of the details that only the one living person who was there would know. The blonde's voice was detached and monotone as she spoke. Callie expected her to show some kind of emotion, but there was none. When Arizona stopped talking, Callie struggled to come up with words to say, so she just held on to her tighter. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Please don't say anything. You don't have to. I just wanted to tell you so you knew what you were dealing with."

Callie pulled back and looked into apprehensive blue eyes. "Arizona, I'm not 'dealing' with anything. As horrible as that was, it is now a part of you. I'm not kidding when I say I'm all in. I want all of you, not just the cute, happy, perky, sexy sides of you. All of it. Its what makes you, you. I am not going anywhere. You understand?"

Arizona was trying not to cry again, though this was a completely different kind of crying from before. She felt herself finally believing Callie. Arizona could see the truth looking back at her through worried brown eyes. She knew without a doubt that she now completely trusted this amazing woman. "Yeah, I understand."

They lay in silence still locked in the same embrace. Callie wished Arizona would say something. Anything. Maybe even answer her question from last night.

"I had a girlfriend at that time. We had been together for three years and were about to buy a place together. I thought about asking her to marry me."

_Okay, not where I thought this was going._ Callie remained silent.

"Tim hated her. He thought she wasn't good enough for me, but I loved her. Well, I thought I did." Arizona paused waiting to see if Callie would say anything. When she didn't, she continued, "After that night I really needed her. Maybe I put too much pressure on her to be there for me, I don't know. One night without warning she just packed up and left. She said I wasn't normal and that she didn't love me anymore. She just left me alone and I haven't seen her since."

Callie finally started to understand Arizona's hesitation towards her. "Arizona, I'm sorry. She's an asshole. You didn't deserve that."

"There was a bright side to her leaving me. I called a therapist the next day. I finally realized I needed real help. I was living in a nightmare and was losing my grip on what was real. That helped a lot."

"It's never going to be 100% okay, but you learn to cope and be happy again. You'll never be the same Arizona as you were before then. I would have like to have known that Arizona, but I really, really like this one too. Ugly crying and all." She felt Arizona shake in laughter against her chest. It was the best feeling to make her laugh again.

"I am not an ugly crier!" Arizona looked up at Callie and smiled. She loved that this woman didn't try and sugarcoat things for her like everyone else. She was completely honest and realistic. It was refreshing.

"Are too! Look at my shirt!" Callie laughed at the look on Arizona's face. She kissed the blonde's forehead. "You are so cute." She ran her hand light down Arizona's side and the blonde snorted, trying to hold in a laugh. "Arizona Robbins! Are you ticklish?"

"No!"

"Oh really?" Callie ran her fingers up Arizona's side again and stopped just below her arm pit. The blonde was trying very hard to hold her arm down with all her strength, but Callie was stronger. She forced her arm up and attacked. The blonde squealed in laughter. Callie positioned herself on top and tickled down Arizona's sides. She pinned her arms above her head with one hand while she tickled with her other. Arizona wiggled and squealed beneath her. It was the cutest thing Callie has ever seen.

"Calliope stop! Please stop!" Arizona panted. She was laughing so hard she could barely breath. They both were flailing all over the bed, desperate to win. "Please! I'm begging you. Stop!" Sonny soon joined the fray, trying to see if his new mom needed help. The kitten was no match for Callie though, so he watched curiously from the sidelines.

After a few more seconds of torture, Callie finally stopped and watched Arizona as she tried to catch her breath. She smiled at the sight. Callie leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead, her left cheek, her right cheek, the tip of her nose, and ended with a hard kiss on the lips. Once the blonde calmed down, she asked, "You think you could go to sleep now?"

"Yeah, I can try. Maybe if you stay with me?" Arizona was embarrassed that she was already depending on her to stay.

"Of course I'm staying. You're kind of stuck with me now." Callie curled her body around the back of Arizona's. She was amazed at how perfectly the blonde fit into her. Callie couldn't help but think she had finally found her missing puzzle piece that she didn't even know she lost until she let herself open the box. She hadn't realized how tired she was until now. Both women were completely exhausted.

As Callie was about to drift off, she heard a small voice from the women in her arms. "Timmy would have really liked you, Calliope." Almost right away, both women fell into a deep dream free slumber.

Callie couldn't breath when she woke up. There was something soft on her face, covering her mouth and nose. She could also feel tugging at her hair. _What the hell?_ She opened her eyes and saw two big green eyes staring back at her. She quickly realized that it was Sonny and he was trying to eat her hair. She groaned and gently swatted him off. He took the hint and curled up on Arizona's empty pillow. Callie reached out to the other side of the bed and cursed. _Damn bakery hours. I would like to not wake up alone for once_. She wished she wasn't such a heavy sleeper so she could say bye to Arizona before she left. But then again, she was not a morning person at all and would probably just be cranky at her. She had a feeling Arizona was a perky early morning riser and the thought made Callie shudder. She felt Sonny slowly climbing up her stomach and lifted her head to look down at his green eyes. "You don't give up, do you kid?" He didn't answer and settled himself on her chest. "Fine, you win." Between his big green eyes and Arizona's blue ones, she doesn't stand a chance at winning much of anything anymore. She put her head back down on the pillow and glanced around. This was the first time she was seeing Arizona's room in the light. The walls were painted a pale yellow and there were a few boxes in the corner, but other than that the room was completely bare. Callie tried to remember when the blonde moved here. She was pretty sure it has been months. _I guess she's been too busy._

Callie felt Sonny shift and she started to stroke his soft kitten fur. She felt something weird on his neck and sat up. "Sonny, what did you do now?" She moved him on his side and saw it was a piece of light purple paper stuck in his collar. She grinned, pulled it out, and quickly unfolded it. There was only one word scribbled across the middle of the large sheet of paper.

_Yes._

* * *

_..._


	13. Chapter 13 Part One: I have to win this

**If you got a second alert on this chapter, I'm sorry! I had to fix an awful mistake. There are probably more, but this was I couldnt let go.  
**

**First, some notes-**

This chapter was getting crazy long, so I had to split it in two. Part two will be up tomorrow.

Thanks for all your positive reviews on my last chapter! Made me happy.

Someone asked me why my cats were names Callie and Addy and not Callie and Arizona. I got Callie during season two of Grey's and Addy during season 3. Both came along before Arizona was a blip on the radar. I want to get an Arizona, but Addy is a bitch and doesn't like other cats.

* * *

Callie jumped out of the bed with a loud 'whoop!' and picked up Sonny. She danced with him around the room. "She said yes! She said yes! I have the most wonderful, beautiful girlfriend!" She continued to dance with him until she heard the doorbell ring. "Sonny, if you tell anyone about this, I will deny it to my grave. Now let's go see who that is." Callie carried the kitten down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. She wasn't sure if she should be answering Arizona's door or not. She looked down and saw what she was wearing. _Really should have changed before coming here._ "What do you think, Sonny? Should we answer Arizona's door?" The kitten just blinked back at her. "You're right, its your house too, so you can answer it. I'll just have to help you out with the turning of the knob." Callie laughed and went to open the door. On the other side stood a tall, slender, good looking woman with clear green eyes and long straight blonde hair. The woman had enough luggage to stay for awhile. Callie had no idea who this was and felt a ping of jealousy deep within her. She eyed the woman up and down. _Hmm, pretty, but I'm definitely hotter._ She smirked, "Can I help you?"

Teddy was surprised to see a woman that was definitely not her best friend answer the door. She was doubly surprised to see a hot Latina woman with wild hair and multiple tattoos covering her skin. She was barefoot and wore a tight red tank top with no bra, black boxers with skeletons all over them, and she was holding the most adorable kitten Teddy had ever seen. Yeah, Teddy was totally speechless.

Callie knew how ridiculous she must look to this stranger, but she didn't appreciate the way she was staring at her with her mouth open. "Are you lost?" The woman looked around behind her as if to check to make sure she really was where she meant to be.

"You're not Arizona." Teddy said dumbly. _Dear Lord, I'm straight and this woman has got me all in a tizzy_.

Callie narrowed her eyes, "Nope, definitely not." She didn't offer anymore information.

"She does live here right? Her mom gave me this address and I don't remember her saying anything about roommates."

"I need to know who you are first before I say anything." Callie squared her shoulders and tried to stand taller. This stranger was taller than her in her boots and Callie didn't meet many woman who were. She would protect Arizona no matter what if this woman was here to upset her in any way.

Teddy noticed the brunette taking a defensive stance. She laughed internally at the sight. _What is she going to do? Throw a kitten at me? And who the hell does she think she is?_ "Actually, I'm going to need to know who you are and why you are in Arizona's house alone." Teddy would also do anything in her power to protect Arizona. The brunette glared at her. _Yikes, okay now I'm a little scared._

The two woman continued to glare at each other stubbornly. Neither one wanted to offer up information first. Sonny was tried of being held, so he jumped out of Callie's arms and ran back up the stairs to his bed. "Cute kitten." Teddy tried to get some sort of dialogue going.

Callie crossed her now free arms and raised an eyebrow, "Yup." Callie wasn't giving in. She knew from experience that she could out stubborn anybody.

"Oh my god! Fine! I'm Arizona's best friend from New York, Teddy Altman. I flew in to surprise her. Now who the fuck are you?" She saw the brunette grin broadly when she said her name. This woman obviously knew who she was. _Wow, what an amazing smile._ Teddy smiled back shyly. _Stop it Teddy, what the hell?_

Callie now knew exactly who this stranger was. Arizona had just told her about Teddy just last night. She knew the blonde would be thrilled to have her friend here. Callie's smiled faltered when she also remembered what Teddy meant to Arizona's brother. She was heartbroken for this woman. Callie quickly recovered and reached out her hand, "Callie Torres, Arizona's girlfriend." Callie couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across her face. It was the first time she got to call Arizona her girlfriend outloud to another person.

"Girlfriend?" Teddy asked confused. "We're talking about Arizona Robbins, right? Blonde hair, blue eyes, dangerous dimples?"

"Um, yeah?" Now it was Callie's turn to be confused. How many Arizona's could there possibly be in the world? Especially in this small town.

"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day." Realization slowly crept through her. She recalled the frantic phone from Arizona not too long ago. "Omg, you're Calliope!" She eyed the brunette up and down again. "Okay, now I get it."

"Excuse me? And it's Callie."

"Arizona told me about you. Since you're standing here in her house in what looks to be pajamas and you called her your girlfriend, I'm guessing she pulled her head out of her ass and talked to you?"

Callie smiled at the thought of Arizona telling her best friend about her. "Yeah, something like that."

"So, can I come in now?"

"Oh! Yes, of course. Arizona's at work. I can take you to her? I have to go to work too and it's right next door."

"I should have known. She's a workaholic. Yes, that would be great. I took a shuttle here that cost a small fortune. I have no idea how to find my way around either."

"Well, yeah the nearest airport is over an hour away. Let me try to find something of Arizona's to wear. I don't really want to go out in this get up."

"You don't have clothes?"

"I kind of rushed out of bed and over here in a hurry late last night. There was a... situation." Callie didn't know what she was allowed to say about Arizona's issues.

Teddy nodded her head knowingly. "Nightmare?"

Callie sighed, "Yeah."

"And she called you?" Teddy said shocked.

"She did." Callie didn't see what the problem was.

"Callie, you don't understand how big of a deal that was for Arizona." Teddy was incredibly proud of her best friend. Maybe this Callie is exactly what she needed.

"I think I'm starting to. I'm trying anyway. She's very special."

"She really is, she just doesn't know it."

"I'm trying to show her. She'll get it." Callie and Teddy smiled at each other. Their mutual fondness over Arizona making them instant friends. "Okay, clothes! I'll be right back."

Callie rummaged through the smaller woman's closet trying to find something that fit. She felt a little weird going through the blonde's stuff and hoped she didn't mind. She found a hoodie and some sweatpants that would work. Pulling the hoodie over her head, she inhaled the intoxicating smell she was now addicted to. She said her good byes to Sonny and headed downstairs to grab her keys that she left on the side table by the door. When she got there she found her keys missing and a new set in their place. There was also a note.

_Calliope,_

_You blocked my car in, so I stole yours. Here are the keys to my Mini. Have fun!_

_- Your girlfriend ;)_

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Callie was not happy about having to be seen in a stupid light blue Mini. "Ooo!" She pulled out the tiny drawer in the table and dug around until she found what she was looking for. "Ha! Plan backfired Arizona, I'm taking your bike!" Callie wondered why Arizona didn't just take her bike herself.

"Talking to yourself?" Teddy asked as she came into the hallway ready to go.

"Crap! I forgot about you." Callie said disappointed. Now she would definitely have to take the Mini. "Shit."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm sorry, it's just the Arizona stole my car and left me with her stupid car. I was just going to take her bike, but remembered you were coming with me."

Teddy laughed. "Well I'm sorry to have to embarrass you. You ready?"

"Yeah." Callie grumbled. "Let's get this over with."

They shared small talk as Callie drove. Mostly about work and what New York is like. When they pulled up to the front of Aweosme Bakery, Teddy laughed. "I can't believe she actually did it."

"Did what?"

"Named it that and painted it pink." Teddy smiled sadly, thinking of Tim and how he would tease Arizona about saying awesome all of the time.

"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the color."

"Neither is Arizona. It's her mother's fault. I'm pretty sure Arizona designed it like this to match her parents shop back in New York."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." There was still so much she had to learn about the blonde. "Okay, wait out here."

* * *

"You can go home Boss, we can handle it from here. You look like shit."

"Karev, shove it." Arizona was beyond exhausted. She hasn't been getting much sleep lately with spending time with Callie and then her nightmare last night. She also wasn't going to abandon her employees. It had been a busy morning and the four of them were leaning against the front counter chugging coffee during a lull in business.

"And you're cranky too!" Alex knew he was playing with fire.

"Alex..." Lexis warned. Arizona was rarely in a bad mood, but when she was everyone better watch out.

"I'm not cranky! I'm just tired and miss my girlfriend." She didn't realize she had just told everyone her news.

"Girlfriend?" Lexie questioned with a smile. She didn't know all the details of Arizona's life the past few years, but they have been friends long enough for her to know the significance of her statement.

"Yup! Girlfriend! It's new, just happened last night. But I'm really excited about it." Arizona's infectious smile lit up the room, causing the other three to smile too.

"Torres right? If not, you're an idiot." Alex asked.

Before Arizona could answer the door burst open, making her jump. "You're lucky you're my girlfriend or I'd have you arrested for stealing my car!" Arizona looked up to see her new girlfriend standing in her shop wearing her favorite black Robbins Family Bakery hoodie. It looked amazing on her. Bad mood completely forgotten, she ran to greet her with a dimpled smile. Callie laughed as Arizona threw herself in her arms. They kissed sweetly, keeping it tame. They were well aware of their audience. "Hey, I missed you." Callie whispered, kissing Arizona's cheeks.

"Well, I guess that answers that question." April laughed.

"I missed you too. In fact I was just telling these guys that when you came in. Want some coffee?"

"Oh god, yes! But first, I got a surprise for you."

"What? Calliope, no! You're spoiling me."

"This surprise isn't from me. Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Come on, humor me."

"Fiiiiine." Arizona closed her eyes and waited.

Callie went to the window to wave Teddy in. When Alex and Lexie saw who it was they smiled and waved silently. April was just confused. "Arizona Robbins! If you go and do something life changing, like, I don't know get a girlfriend, without telling me ever again, I'm going to kick your ass!"

Wait, Arizona knew that voice well, but it's not possible. She snapped her eyes open and was greeted by the smiling faces of her best friend and girlfriend. "Teddy? When did you get here? What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I flew the red eye last night. I wanted to surprise you. Last time we talked, you seemed like you needed your best friend, but it looks like I was wrong." Teddy glanced over at Callie.

"Teds, I always need you." Arizona lept into Teddy's arms giving her a hard hug. "I'm so happy you're here! How do you know Callie?"

"I found her at your house." She leaned in to whisper in Arizona's ear. "Super hot by the way. I didn't know you had it in you." She leaned back to see Arizona smiling broadly at her. "Zona, this place looks great by the way. I'm so proud of you! Tim would have been too. Hey Alex! Hey Lexie! Hey girl I don't know!" She finally acknowledge her friends behind the counter.

"Thanks. That's April. April, this is Teddy."

"Well, Ill let you guys catch up. I need to go shower and change for work. I'm sorry, I had to borrow some clothes. I hope that's okay?"

""Of course it's okay!" Arizona secretly loved seeing her in her clothes.

"Before I forget, Mark and I were thinking of driving out to the beach on Monday. You all are welcome. We usually light a fire, do a cookout, and drink. It's a lot of fun." She lowered her voice so only Arizona could hear, "I have a red bikini with your name on it." Callie laughed when Arizona audibly gulped and licked her lips. "So what do you guys think?" She looked around the room and received all nods and yeses. "Great! I'll text you the details."

Arizona kissed Callie's soft lips, "I'll see you later?"

"You bet! Bye." Callie made no move to leave. She'd rather stay her and spend all day with her girlfriend.

"Bye, Calliope." Arizona didn't make a move either.

"Okay, bye." Still no movement.

Teddy rolled her eyes, "Can you guys stop making googoo eyes at each other? I'm getting hungry and have been missing out on Arizona's muffins since she ditched me."

With one last kiss, Callie finally left. Arizona watched her leave and continued to stare out the door long after Callie was out of sight. "Zona!"

"What!" Now that Callie was gone, Arizona was back to being cranky.

"I haven't seen you in months, don't snap a me. Now where's my muffin?"

Arizona went to get two muffins and two cups of coffee and directed Teddy to a table in the corner so they could sit and talk. "So, a tattoo artist, huh? Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"I thought I wouldn't be at first. I thought it would just remind me of Tim all the time and make me sad, but she's so amazing and unique. I never even think about it." Arizona and Teddy rarely talked about Tim to each other. The loss left a big hole in both of their hearts and each dealt with it differently.

"She seems good for you, Zona. I'm really happy for you." Teddy smiled, a little sadly thinking about her lost love. She's been trying to move on, but so far it hasn't worked out.

"I'm really happy too." Arizona smiled and got lost in thoughts of all things Callie. She snapped out of it when Teddy flicked her nose. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You weren't listening to me!"

"What did you say?"

"I was saying that Callie still needs to receive the Teddy Altman seal of approval."

"She definitely will!"

"So, imagine my surprise when I knocked on your door and that answered. She barely had any clothes on and was holding a kitten!"

"You met Sonny?" Arizona bounced in her seat excited. The kitten definitely brought some light in her life.

"Uh, I guess so? Callie didn't introduce us. She wasn't very nice to me at first. Not until I told her who I was. I think she was trying to protect you. That's one point towards my approval. Anyways, when you told me she was hot, you didn't do her justice, because wow!"

Arizona smiled wickedly, "I know!"

* * *

Mark was pissed. What was supposed to be a trip with just six people turned into a party of thirteen. He didn't even want to do this in the first place. "Cal, come on. Do I have to go?"

"Yes! It will be fun, I promise!" Callie said as she packed beer and food into coolers and in to the back of Mark's SUV. She was excited. Callie loved the ocean, she loved just chilling with friends, and she would get to spend the whole day with Arizona. With Teddy in town, she hadn't seen much of her girlfriend the past couple of days, other then quick visits to each others shops. She tried to be understanding, but was a little annoyed. She finally got her to agree to go out with her, but then they spent their first days as girlfriends apart.

"You have my tequila?" Cristina yelled from the top of the stairs. Callie held up a box with three bottles. "Excellent! Who else are you dragging out on this shin dig?"

"I'm not dragging anyone. Cris, if you don't want to go, then stay here."

"Hey, why doesn't she have to go?"

"Shut up, Mark, you're going. Focus on the prize."

"Prize?" Mark was intrigued now.

"Lexie. Bikini. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, right!" Mark smirked.

"Gross, Manwhore. Cupcake Girl is an innocent baby. She doesn't need you corrupting her."

"She may look innocent, but don't let that fool you." Mark grinned deviantly remembering the bar the other night.

"TMI Sloan! But really, Cal who's going? I need to approve of the guest list."

"You don't get to approve anything. It's too late now anyway. They will be here in," she looked at her watch, "about fifteen minutes."

"I still want to know who I'll be stuck with all day."

"Well it's us three, Arizona, her friend Teddy, Owen, Addy, Mer, George, Joe, Lexie, Alex, and April."

"Kepner is coming? I can't stand it when she talks. Or comes near me. Or breaths."

"Of course she's coming. I couldn't invited everyone but her. That's rude."

"I don't know the meaning of that word."

"Sure you do, it is your middle name. Now shut up, they're coming." She smiled as the bakery crew plus Teddy walked up to the cars. "Hey babe, I've missed you." Callie kissed Arizona's cheek and raked her eyes down the blonde's body. She had on a short yellow sun dress that showed off her long legs and perfect chest. Callie could see ties from her brown bathing suit around her neck and really wanted to untie then right now. Callie couldn't help but notice that the blonde's dress somehow managed to not cover much of her front, but hid her whole back well.

"Missed you too." Arizona blushed and kissed Callie on the lips. Arizona didn't know why she was blushing. Callie made her body do all kinds of involuntary things. Maybe it was the way the brunette was looking at her like a starved wolf or maybe it was because of the very tiny shorts showing off very long tan legs and the thin strapped tank Callie was wearing. Arizona could see a red bathing suit peeking out from her black tank top and couldn't wait to see what the rest of it looked like.

"You know the staring at each other in silence thing you two do all the time is getting really old. Not to mention incredibly boring. I'm going to need some lesbian drama and soon. I watch the L Word, I know how it is." Cristina said turning to Teddy, who was staring at her wide eyed. "Who are you?"

"Teddy, I apologize for my friend. This is Cristina. Cristina this is Arizona's best friend Teddy."

"Cal, stop apologizing for greatness." Cristina said and moved to where there other friends were standing around chatting.

"Well, she's fun." Teddy said flatly.

"She's really not that bad once you get used to her." Callie looked around to see everyone else had arrived. "People! Listen! Mark can take eight and Joe volunteered to take the rest." Everyone looked at each other awkwardly trying to figure out who would go where. "Okay, Lexie ride up front with Mark. Teddy, Arizona, and I will take the middle seat. Mer, Cris, and Owen will take the back. That leaves George, Addy, Alex, and April with Joe. Anyone got a problem with that?" Callie looked around the group daring anyone to question her. Alex looked like he was about to say something, but stopped short when he saw Arizona glare at him and shake her head no. Addison was also not happy with being stuck with them. "Great! Let's go!"

"Owen!" Addison called. "Please trade with me, I'll give you anything."

Owen looked at Cristina who just shrugged. He really didn't care either way. Him, George, and Joe got along great. He didn't know Alex or April yet. "Sure, no problem." He chuckled when Addison threw her arms around him to give him a quick hug.

Callie and her group headed towards Mark's Luxury Navigator, while the rest climbed into Joe's old Jetta. "Wow, Sloan. Pretty snazzy." Arizona commented. The SUV obviously had the best of the best of everything inside and out. She couldn't help but go back to wondering where Mark and Callie got their money. She hoped they weren't secretly drug dealers or bank robbers or diamond smugglers or secret agent spies. Though the spy thing would be totally hot. _I really should have asked Calliope that before saying yes._

"Yeah, she's my baby. I just got her." Mark said while petting the dashboard.

"Looks like you put a lot of work into her. This must have cost a lot." Arizona tried to subtly ask where the heck he got the money for this car.

Callie didn't like we're this was going and changed the subject. "You guys excited about the beach? We've got plenty of firewood for a fire and lots of food and alcohol."

"Sounds awesome, Calliope!" Arizona suddenly realized something. "I thought fire and alcohol weren't allowed on public beaches? Are you sure all that it okay?" Arizona didn't feel like being arrested today.

_Oops. I was counting on her not knowing that._ "Umm, yeah it's fine."

"It's allowed, because it's a private beach." Cristina butted in.

"Cristina!" Callie snapped, covering her face with her hands. _Shit._

"What? Was that supposed to be a secret?" Cristina knew it was, but this was way more fun. She knew Callie hated people knowing about her wealth. Cristina grew up in Beverly Hills with rich parents, so she understood. That didn't stop her from taking this chance to torture Callie though.

"Private beach? Whose?" Arizona looked at Callie who was now staring out the window. She then turned to look behind her. Addison and Meredith were avoiding eye contact with her. Cristina was in the middle of them, grinning like a Cheshire cat and pointing at Callie.

"Calliope!" Arizona yelled making everyone in the car cower. They knew someone was in trouble. "Your own business, a homeless animal shelter, a nice remodeled apartment, an $80,000 car, a $30,000 custom motorcycle, and a private freakin beach? What are you not telling me?"

_Wow she really pays attention._ Callie cringed. In reality all that stuff was pretty cheap in comparison to what she could actually afford. She tried to keep her purchases within a normal price range to not set off any red flags. Arizona didn't even know about her other three much more expensive cars she had in storage. "Arizona..." Callie looked around. Everyone was staring intently out the windows, except for Cristina who was watching eagerly at the edge of her seat to see what would happen next. Cristina really wished she had some popcorn. "Not here, okay? It's nothing."

"Nothing? Calliope are you guys like bank robbers or something? Please tell me you're not dealing drugs?"

"What?"' Now Callie was angry. How could Arizona think that of her? "Do you really think the poorly of me?"

"Of course not! Look at all this from my point of view."

Callie's expression softened. Arizona was right, it did look really bad. She sighed, "I just have a lot of money, okay? I don't usually blow it on a bunch of crazy stuff, but I do like to treat myself sometimes. Most of it I either save or put towards Eva's and a lot of other causes I believe in. I only live off what I earn from working."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not that big of a deal. I don't like people knowing, because they treat me differently. I'm pretty sure that was one of the reasons Erica strung me along for so long. She liked the presents I'd give her. I'm really sorry."

"Calliope, I'm not going to treat you any differently. I'd still be your girlfriend if you were a bum on the streets or the richest girl in the world. As long as you stay the same Calliope Torres I've been seeing. I like that one. I don't expect presents either, especially since I don't think you can top Sonny."

"Thank you." Callie leaned in for a slow languid kiss that was starting to heat up before Cristina interrupted them.

"What, that's it?" She was hoping for a longer show, since it was a two hour car ride.

"Shut up, Cristina." Callie and Arizona said in unison. They giggled at each other and Cristina rolled her eyes.

"You didn't tell me where you got the money, I mean I kind of already figured out you had a lot."

"My whole family is pretty well off. My grandfather started a chain of hotels and they kind of exploded all over the world and he made a fortune. He also dealt with high end real estate. My father got into the same business and made his own fortune. My dad cut me off from his though when I was a teenager. When my grandfather died a year after I graduated college he left his entire profits to my sister, Aria, and me. My dad was pissed, but he did get all of his hotels."

"Wow... did you buy Mark this car?"

"Hell no! I wouldn't buy this thing. He has his own family money. So does Cristina and Addy."

"Hey!" Addison didn't like people to know about her money either. That's why she worked at the shelter. It barely paid anything, but it was fulfilling. She did splurge a lot more than Callie did though. The outfit she was wearing today was easily a thousand dollars.

"Sorry, Addy. No secrets here anymore."

"Are you guys like a secret millionaires club hiding out among us common folk?"

"Yeah, kinda." Callie didn't mention she was actually a billionaire. Well, maybe not anymore, since she pours so much into the shelter. She reminded herself that she should really look into that. Callie has never been happier that she didn't share her maternal grandfather's last name. That would have been a dead giveaway.

The occupants in the car sat in silence for the rest of the trip. Each lost in their own thoughts about money or lack of it. Teddy noticed that Callie didn't let go of Arizona's hand the whole time. _That's one more point towards the Teddy Altman seal of approval._

Mark pulled up to a modest yellow beach house and they all started to unload. Arizona went inside and looked around. It was small and cozy with a open living space and three bedrooms. The kitchen was extravagant, just like in Callie's apartment and there were plenty of plush couches and chairs to easily fit everyone. Exactly what Arizona would have picked out. She felt strong arms wrap around her from behind. "You didn't mention you had a beach house too."

"Of course there's a beach house. Who would have a private beach without a house?" Cristina said as she pushed passed them hugging the box of tequila to herself.

"I didn't? Hmmm... Must have slipped my mind. Maybe we can take some days off and come stay here. Just you and me?

"I'd really like that. I wish we didn't have to work tomorrow, so we can stay here tonight."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't be alone." Callie winked at Arizona and went to the kitchen to unload.

As Mark and Callie put away the food, the rest of the gang sat around the couches talking and laughing. Teddy was trying to keep everyone and how they were connected straight. "Let's see if I got this right- Callie and Mark were childhood best friends. Callie met Cristina when they were roommates in college. Meredith applied for a job at Evangeline's when you guys opened and became Cristina's 'person' whatever that means. Owen, your Cristina's boyfriend. Joe owns the bar you guys live in and his boyfriend, George, needed a job, so you guys gave him one at the shop. Then Arizona set up shop next door. I already know Lexie and Karev, but April, you were working at a different bakery and Arizona stole you when she saw you working. Then y'all got drunk together and are now the best of friends?" Everyone nodded at her. They were very impressed. "Then by some crazy random happenstance, Lexie and Meredith are half sisters?"

"Yeah, I never did hear the story on that one." Callie said.

"That's because you and Blondie were too busy rubbing against each other on the dance floor." Cristina said. "Let me break it down for you- Mer's mom and sperm donor got it on one night after her mom went out to a bar to celebrate some doctor thing she did. The dude was visiting from out of town, so it was perfect. Somehow she got pregnant with Mer, though I would think a doctor would know better. Whatever, anyways. Dude went home, started a family, and next thing we know Cupcake Girl is here declaring her long lost love for Mer, who had no idea by the way."

The group blinked in shock and shifted eyes between Cristina, Meredith, and Lexie. "What are you Bozos staring at? You wanted to know the story. So there it is." Cristina said.

"Yeah, it's true." Meredith finally said something. "I have a sister now. After being an only child my whole life with an absent workaholic mother. Woo." She had no idea how she felt about the stranger who showed up in her life calling herself family. Lexie seemed nice. Too nice, actually. Meredith was keeping her at arms length until she figured out what to do about her.

Lexie blushed. She was embarrassed about how she broke the news to Meredith. Cristina had gotten her drunk because of that stupid came she invented and Lexie had just blurted it out and then hugged her. She didn't know Meredith wasn't a hugger. It was all very awkward and now she was waiting for Meredith to accept her or at least acknowledge her.

Callie decided to break the awkward silence. "So, who wants to go out to the beach and swim?" She went to grab the cooler of beer, while everyone jumped up and headed out to the deck that led to the beach.

Arizona looked up and down the beach and found it completely empty as far as she could see. _Wow I could get used to this._ They walked closer to the water and started to set up towels and chairs. When everyone started to peel off clothes to reveal bathing suits, Arizona got extremely nervous. She knew if she kept her dress on, people would ask why. But was she really ready to show all these people her back? She could feel the anxiety building up in her and went to reach for Callie's hand to calm her. Arizona turned to find that Callie was busy moving things around and that she had also removed her clothes to reveal a very sexy, and borderline inappropriate red bikini. "Oh my... fuck." Arizona completely forgot about her anxiety for the time being. Her mouth went complete dry at the sight before her. Callie's tanned skin looked like it was literally glowing in the sun. Her vibrant tattoos popped out against the bright light of the sun. Her dark hair was shining and blowing in the breeze around her. The red triangular top was just the right size to cover perfect breasts and her red bottoms were only being held on by two strings that showed off every inch of her maginificant legs. Arizona mentally slapped her hand away from reaching out and pulling at the strings. She took at the perfect curves of the Latina's body. _Woah. Calliope Torres was definitely all woman._ Arizona thanked God for making her gay so she had the opportunity to worship this goddess. She watched Callie bend over to straighten out her towel, giving the blonde the perfect view of her ass. _Is this for real? Did I wander into some Charlies Angels/Baywatch crossover? Am I being Punked?_ Arizona glanced around for cameras and wiped the drool off her face. She hoped no one noticed. She looked at her friends and found that no one did notice, because they were all staring at Callie too. "Hey!" She yelled causing everyone to look at her in confusion. "Nevermind." Everyone went back to what they were originally doing. Arizona snuck up behind Callie and grabbed her hips. She stood on her tip toes and whispered in Callie's ear, "Do you even know how beautiful you are? What you do to people? Everyone was staring. Even Yang, Joe, and George."

Callie shivered from the hot breath against her ear and turned around in Arizona's arms. "Not nearly as beautiful as you." She leaned down to kiss the blonde. "Now do I get to see what's under here?" She asked while tugging at the front of Arizona's dress. She saw a flash of anxiety in Arizona's face. "What's wrong?" Callie watched the blonde bite her lip and look at their feet. "Oh. Right. Wait right here." Callie headed towards the house leaving a very confused blonde standing on the beach by herself. Arizona went to sit on her towel and pulled a book out of her large bag.

"What the hell?"

Arizona looked up at Mark's voice and dropped her book. A huge smile spread across her face. "Oh my god."

Callie came striding down the beach in a loose fitting red sundress and a huge black sun hat on her head. She saw Mark giving her a weird look. "What? I didn't want to get too much sun. Last time I wasn't feeling well at the end of the day."

"I think that was from all the tequila."

"And the sun."

"Okay, Cal. Whatever you say." Mark patted her on the back and went to sit by Lexie. He has learned to not question Callie too much. She just gets mad.

Arizona heard their exchange and stood up. "You didn't have to do this." She said quietly so only Callie could hear.

"What? Proper protection from the sun is very important." Callie closed her eyes and started rubbing her hands all over Arizona's body through her dress.

"Calliope, what are you doing?" Arizona giggled.

"I'm looking under your dress with my hands, since I can't see with my eyes." She smirked. "Yet." Callie opened her eyes to see Arizona looking adoringly at her. "What?"

"You're something special, Calliope." Arizona pulled Callie down to her and kissed her tenderly. "I think I'll keep you."

"You better. I'm kind of attached to you now."

"Boss! Torres! We're going swimming. Coming?"

"You go. I'm going to read my book." Arizona pushed Callie forward.

"Okay. I'll go stick my feet in for a minute, then I'll be right back."

Arizona watched Callie down run to the water. Even though she loved that Callie put on a dress to match her, she wished she could be watching her run without it. Her mouth wet dry again just thinking about her girlfriend's body in that bikini. As she rummaged through her bag for her water, she saw the stuff she brought and remembered what she wanted to do with it. She stood up an went down to the water and yelled, "Calliope Torres! I challenge you to a sand castle building contest!

"What?" The entire group turned to look at Arizona like she was crazy. "Are you drunk?"

"No, I'm serious. You and me in the sand." Arizona challenged.

"Arizona, we don't even have tools or anything."

"I brought some!"

"Of course you did. No, no way."

"Come on Calliope! What? Afraid to lose?"

Callie laughed, "I won't loss."

"Well you won't win if you don't compete either."

"What do I get when I win?"

Arizona grinned wickedly and motioned for Callie to come closer. "If you win, you get to have your way with me." She whispered.

Callie's eyes went wide. "And if you win?"

"I get to have my way with you." Arizona said matter-of-factly.

"What are the rules?"

"Oo oo oo! Can I referee!" Cristina loved a good competition.

"No. Mark and Teddy will referee. We each get one assistant chosen by ourselves. We get one hour to build the best sand castle and then everybody will vote on a winner. Are those rules acceptable?"

Callie couldn't believe she was actually going to agree to this. "Yes."

"Okay, ladies. Pick your assistant."

"Grey!" They yelled out in unison.

"What? No! Lexie is mine!" Arizona said. She had to have Lexie to win this. She was the best sculptor she has ever seen.

"Not Little Grey, I want Meredith." Callie smiled confidently. Arizona didn't know about her secret weapon. Meredith could sculpt and carve everything out of anything. One time she made an exact replica of Mark's face in a stick of butter and she was completely smashed. She turned to Meredith who smiles slyly a her. They had this in the bag.

Arizona was surprised by Callie's choice, but shrugged it off. "Okay, you two go set up over there and we'll go over here. No one, except Mark and Teddy, is allowed to approach the work areas until the time is up. You can only use sand, water, your hands, and your tools. When we're done everyone else will vote. Got it?" Arizona directed. This isn't her first rodeo.

_Bossy Arizona sure is hot._ "Yeah, we got it." Callie let Meredith pick what tools she needed and they headed away from the group. "Mer, I need to win this thing, so if we win, you can have tomorrow off paid."

"Don't worry, I got this. What do you get if your win?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know."

"I'll take your word for it. If you want to start getting sand packed up tight with water for me, I'll get started on the sculpting." Meredith started working with the sand and tools. Callie watched her for a second and then did what she was told. _I'm so going to win_! They worked together silently for the next hour. Callie thought about what she wanted to do with Arizona while Meredith thought about what she could do with an extra day off.

"Lexie! I have to win this! I'll let you sleep in until noon tomorrow of we do."

"Arizona, of course we'll win!" Lexie assured her. She can't remember the last time she slept past five in the morning. She really needed this too.

"Okay, let's do this!" Arizona and Lexie got to work on their creation.

An hour later Mark called the contests end. "Ladies! Step away from the castles!" Arizona, Lexie, Callie, and Meredith stepped back with there hands up. Callie and Meredith looked at the other team's castle. They had to admit, it was amazing. It looked like a medival castle, complete with moat. They looked back to their castle. _We so won._ Arizona and Lexie looked over Callie and Meredith's castle and were shocked.

"Really Calliope?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it!"

"You made Sleeping freakin Beauty's castle?" Arizona looked over the castle. It was amazing. They even someone made a draw bridge with only sand. She looked over at her castle. It was just as good in her opinion. _We so won._

"Okay everybody, here are your ballots." Teddy said handing out papers. "Everyone will get to vote, including referees and competitors." She grabbed Callie's hat off her head. "Put your vote in this hat when you're done."

After everyone had voted, Teddy took all the papers out and lined them up one by one.

Callie and Arizona stood side by side as Teddy read off their names, both excited about the prize. It was really a win-win, but both wanted to have their way with the other first.

_Callie, Callie, Callie, Arizona, Callie, Arizona, Arizona, Arizona, Callie, Callie, Arizona, Arizona, Callie._

* * *

_**Author's note**:_

I'm assuming y'all know how to count. If you don't, you'll have to wait until part two to see who won.

Special shout out to all my lurkers out there! I love ya! Stop being creeps and leave some love.


	14. Chapter 13 Part Two: I have to win this

"Yes!" Callie pumped her fists in the air in victory. She then grabbed Arizona's hand and started dragging her behind her towards the house.

"What are you doing?" Arizona laughed. She knew exactly what Callie was doing.

"I want my prize."

"Calliope I didn't mean right now!"

Callie stopped short, causing Arizona to run into her back. "Arrrrrizooona, please?" She begged.

"Those puppy eyes are not going to work on me right now. Stop whining, you're not a child."

"You just made me build a sand castle. You do not get to call me a child!"

"Come on, it was cute. Admit it."

Callie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. When do I get to claim my prize?"

Arizona smiled at how cute whiny Callie was. "Later, I promise. Can we go back to the water now?"

"I guess. Hop on." She turned her back to Arizona and squatted down.

"Calliope, I can walk."

"Shut up and do it."

"Okay, fine." Arizona grabbed Callie's shoulders and jumped to wrap her legs around Callie's waste. The blonde squealed in laughter when Callie started to spin her around in fast circles. "Stop! You're going to make me vomit!" That made Callie stop real fast and she walked them back towards their friends.

"So, Meredith, have you ever thought about doing cakes?" Arizona asked. "Because I have a feeling you did most of that work on the sand castle. It was super amazing!"

"Hey! Who said I didn't do it?" Callie asked dropping Arizona back down on her feet.

"I just know these things. So, Mer?"

"I don't know. That's not really my thing. " Meredith wouldn't admit out loud that it did sound kind of fun.

"I have the best idea!" Arizona clapped her hands and bounced up and down. "Come by the bakery and just try it out. I'll have Lexie show you what to do. We'll see how it goes from there." Arizona was excited. If she could convince Meredith to do this, she'd have two amazing artists and would be able to double their cake orders and make more money. She already has had to turn people away, since it was impossible for Lexie to do it all herself. "Is that okay with you, Lex?"

"Yeah, of course!" Lexie tried not to show her excitement. She'd do anything to get some time with her half-sister.

"Um, okay. I guess." Meredith was secretly excited too. She was kind of getting bored putting holes in people's bodies and this way she'd get to use more of her skills. Drunken carvings out of butter doesn't really pay the bills.

"Mer, please don't tell me you're thinking of joining Barbie's Bakery?"

"I'm not joining them, I'm just going for one day."

"Cris, leave Grey alone." Callie didn't really want to lose Meredith, but she knew she it was inevitable. She had been wasting her talent the past few years.

"Fine, but you better hook me up with free food. I'm going swimming." Cristina sighed and walked off towards the ocean. She really didn't want Meredith to leave, even if it was next door. She liked working with her best friend every day.

"So who wants beer?" Mark asked everyone. After the bottles were passed around everyone sat on their towels to talk. For the next couple of hours, the friends took turns swimming and lounging around in the sun. At about four in the afternoon Arizona stood up to go inside to use the bathroom. When she got in the house, she heard someone's phone ding indicating a text message. She recognized Callie's phone lit up on the kitchen counter. When the blonde went to pick it up to bring it out to Callie, the new text message was displayed on the screen. It was from someone name Dana.

**Are we still on for tonight? I haven't heard from you. You promised!**

"What the hell? Who's Dana?" Arizona knew she shouldn't have read her message, but it was right there! It wasn't like she went through her phone looking for it. She went to put the phone in her dress pocket so she could bring it to Callie, but then it dinged again. Arizona instinctively looked down at it. It's human nature nowadays to look at a dinging phone without even realizing you've done it. Crap! _Didn't mean to read that_. Arizona did not want to be that kind of girlfriend.

**Seriously, if you forgot again, I'll kill you. I've been looking forward to this date for three weeks! Be at your apartment at 7.**

_Date, what date?_ Arizona didn't know what to feel. Maybe Callie had just forgotten to cancel. They have only been official for a few days. The brunette was allowed to date before her. Arizona pocketed the phone at went back outside. "Callie, your phone was going off inside." She said and handed the brunette her phone.

"Oh, thanks!" Callie took the phone and read her messages. "Fuck, I totally forgot." She said quietly to herself, but Arizona heard. Callie typed something back, put the phone down, and looked up smiling at Arizona. "What do you feel like doing now? You hungry?" The phone dinged again. Callie looked down at it and frowned. She checked the time and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry guys. I really have to start packing up and heading back soon. I have a thing I completely forgot about."

"What thing?" Mark asked. Even though he didn't want to come here, he was having fun and wasn't ready to leave. "Can't you cancel?"

"I just promised a friend I'd do something and I tried." Callie felt really bad about having to make everyone leave so early.

"You can take my car back, so we don't all have to leave." Joe offered.

"Thanks, Joe. That would be great. Does anyone else want to head back early?" Though it was highly unlikely, she was hoping Arizona would stay to have some fun. This completely ruined their night and she was pissed. Callie knew it was her own fault though.

"Of course, I'm coming with you, Calliope."

"Arizona, you don't have to. Why don't you stay here and enjoy the sun for a little bit longer. You didn't even get to experience the bonfire yet and that's the best part."

"No, I'm going with you." There was no way Arizona was staying, especially after Callie just tried to convince her to. Something was definitely up.

"I'll come too," said Teddy. She didn't want to be left here alone. Everyone seemed nice, but they were still strangers.

"Okay, we have to have two more volunteers or you won't fit in Mark's car later."

"We'll go. I'm done." Cristina said already dragging Owen to the house. She needed some alone time with her boyfriend.

"Okay, it's settled." Callie turned to Arizona and took her hand. "Shall we?"

"Sure."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just tired." Arizona lied.

"Okay. I promise I'll make this up to you." Callie kissed the back of Arizona's hand and led them to the house.

When they were settled in the car, no one spoke. Arizona really wanted to ask what was going on, but couldn't get herself to do it. She was trying so hard to just trust Callie and not go all jealous girlfriend on her. She was really hoping Callie would just tell her. Callie was so mad and disappointed at herself that she didn't notice Arizona's internal argument.

"So, who are you helping out?" Arizona broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Callie was still distracted by her internal fuming. "Oh, uh. My sister."

_Sister? She said friend earlier and I thought her sister's name was Aria, not Dana._ "Oh, that's nice of you." Arizona said quietly.

Callie remained silent. Teddy, Cristina, and Owen noticed the tension from the front seat and decided to just sit back and listen to the music. That is how they remained for the entire car ride home.

"Do you and Teddy need a ride home?" Callie asked as they got into town.

"No, I drove us to your house. You're ditching me already?" Arizona was shocked. She couldn't believe Callie really wasn't going to say anything.

"I'm not 'ditching' you." She stopped the car in front of her apartment and everyone got out.

Cristina ran up the stairs and stopped short at who she saw standing outside their door waiting. "Oh my god, this is going to be so good!" She grinned as the girl went to hug her hello.

"Mommy, mommy! I missed you!" A little girl shrieked from the top of the stairs. Arizona and Teddy watched in shock as the adorable little girl, who looked remarkably like a mini-Callie ran down the stairs and threw herself into Callie's arms.

"Alexa! What did I tell you about running away from me towards the street?" A deep low voice yelled from above them. Arizona and Teddy looked up to see a very handsome man in a very expensive suit running down the stairs, with Cristina close behind.

"I'm sorry, daddy. I was so excited to see mommy. I wasn't thinking." She looked around to find the blonde Cristina pointed out to her. "You're really pretty. Are you my mommy's new girlfriend?"

Arizona looked from Callie, who looked like she was about to shit herself, back to the little girl. "Calliope, is there something else you need to tell me?" She was trying not to curse and yell for the little girl's sake.

"What? Arizona, no! It's not-"

"I don't want to hear it, Calliope!" Arizona grabbed Teddy by the arm and started dragging her towards her car. "We're going home!"

"Arizona!" Callie yelled. "Come back! I can explain!"

"Arizona wait, don't you think you need to listen to her? There's obviously an explanation." Teddy knew her best friend wasn't thinking. She also knew there was no way Callie would hide something as big as this from her.

"NO! We're going!" Arizona's heart was shattering slowly by the second. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Arizona! Alexa is not my daughter!" Callie was desperate now. She couldn't let Arizona walk away like this. She was also furious, but would take care of that later. She saw Arizona stop and Callie ran up to her, still holding the little girl. Cristina quietly followed them.

"Auntie Cris!" Alexa yelled out after seeing Cristina behind them. "Can I have my twenty dollars now? I said exactly what you told me to say. Did I do good?"

"Um, yeah. You did really well." Cristina saw the look of murder on Callie's face and she knew she was in a whole new world of trouble. _Stupid kid, sure did throw me under the bus, but oh my god the looks on their faces were priceless!_

"Cristina, you did this to me? Why? How could you?" Callie was not only angry, but she was hurt. This was a new low, even for Cristina.

"I'm sorry, Cal. I thought it would be funny." Cristina really was sorry and wondered if this was what guilt felt like. She turned to see Arizona's intense eyes narrowed in at her. _Woah and I thought Cal's glare was scary. _"I'm going to go to Owen's, see you later!" She turned to leave.

"Auntie Cris, you promised!"

"I'll give it to you later!" Cristina was gone in record time, not bothering to make sure Arizona wouldn't be mad at Callie because of her.

"Alexa, what did I tell you about doing anything Auntie Cris says? Especially when it involves money? You know better." Callie asked the little girl she loved more than anything.

"I'm sorry. She it was a joke and that you would like it. I just wanted to make you happy." Alexa said softly with the same puppy dog eyes Callie gave Arizona earlier.

"It's okay, baby. Next time Cristina asks you to do anything, you make sure to talk to me first. Promise?"

"I promise. I love you." The little girl grabbed both of Callie's cheeks and gave her a wet kiss on the nose.

"I love you too." This kid never failed to make Callie's heart melt.

Arizona watched their exchange and smiled fondly. Callie and Alexa were so adorable together. She was still very confused by what was going on and why Callie was acting weird earlier.

Callie looked at the smiling Arizona. "Alexa, this is my girlfriend, Arizona. Arizona, this is my _niece_, Alexa." She looked towards the stairs where the man was still standing awkwardly. "And that is my sister's husband, Dana."

"It's very nice to meet you, Alexa." Arizona said shaking the tiny hand.

"It's nice to meet you too. I didn't lie about the pretty part. Auntie Cris didn't tell me to say that."

"Thank you. You're really pretty too."

"Cal, I really need to go. Is that okay?" Dana interrupted. He wasn't sure if Callie would still watch his daughter after what she just did to her. Alexa was way too smart for her age.

"Of course. Yeah, we'll be fine."

"Thank you so much for doing this! We'll be back at 11 at the latest." He hugged Callie and Alexa good bye and drove away. Arizona and Teddy followed Callie into the apartment. Callie put the girl down and showed her where her toys were.

"Is Arizona going to stay and play with us, Auntie Callie?"

"I don't know, is she?" Callie turned to look at Arizona, who looked back with questioning eyes. "What's wrong?" Teddy took this opportunity to make herself disappear into the kitchen.

"I don't get it! I read your messages. I'm really sorry, but they were just on the screen. I didn't snoop or anything. They said something about a date and then you were all quiet and standoffish and I got scared. I didn't know what was going on."

"Why didn't you just ask?"

"I don't know! I didn't want to be all jealous!" Arizona knew she had been stupid. This mess was getting ridiculous.

"Dana has been trying to surprise my sister with a fancy date night for just the two of them for a month. My sister is crazy paranoid and won't let anyone watch Alexa, except for me and my parents. Alexa really wanted me to watch her, so I said I'd do it. I forgot about it twice before and bailed on them. I'm awful, I know."

"Then why didn't you just say that? Why did you get all distant?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think about it. You didn't ask. I was just so mad at myself for forgetting again. I was also really disappointed I ruined our beach trip and possibly our first night together. I tend to internalize things until I explode and not listen to what's going on around me. I'm really sorry."

_Damn, there are those eyes again._ "Calliope, it's okay. Really. I should have asked." Arizona leaned in to kiss Callie on the lips.

"Eww, Aunt Callie, there are young children in the room!" Alexa yelled from the couch.

Arizona laughed against Callie's lips and took a step back. "How about I take Teddy home and then I'll get some sleep. You call me when you're child free and then I'll come over. No matter what time, okay?"

"I like that plan."

"Okay then, I'll see you later." Arizona gave Callie a quick kiss and went to find Teddy.

As they were leaving, Arizona turned to Callie. "Do you have any objections to me killing Cristina Yang?"

Callie laughed, "I'll help you hide the body."

* * *

Arizona was jerked out of her sleep by the Fraggle Rock theme song playing loudly in her ear. "Aaaahhh! Loud noises!" She had turned the alarm on her phone up as loud as possible and put the phone right by her head before she fell asleep. There was no way she was going to miss Callie's phone call. She checked the time on her night stand and saw that it was 10:31PM. Arizona got dressed, brushed her teeth, and headed downstairs to find Teddy still up watching tv.

"Hey Zona. Excited for your booty call?" Teddy asked without looking away from the tv she was watching. She had no idea what was going on on the show, but it was making her laugh.

Arizona gasped, "It is not a booty call!"

"Um, yes it is!"

"I just want to see my girlfriend. What is wrong with that?"

"At eleven o'clock at night? And don't even pretend you're not planning on having sex."

"That is none of your business." Arizona huffed and plopped her body down on the couch next to Teddy.

"That right there answers my question." They sat together for a few minutes laughing at the tv. Teddy decided it was time to bite the bullet. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Ready for what?"

"Sex with Callie. I mean didn't you freak out on her not too long ago?"

"I'm ready." Arizona couldn't believe Teddy was really asking her that right now.

"Are you really?"

"Yes! So much has happened since then. We've committed. She helped me through a nightmare and didn't even flinch. She's showed me I can trust her. It's been so long since I've been intimate with anyone and I want to do it with her. After today, I can't wait any longer. So, I'll just go over when she calls and we'll see what happens. I mean, did you see her in that bathing suit? I thought I was literally going to explode."

"Yeah, your face was actually changing colors and I thought you stopped breathing. I almost was going to start CPR."

"Shut up! That did not happen. Where's Sonny?"

"Last I saw him, he was in the kitchen eating. Why?"

"I have to get him ready to go to Callie's."

"Arizona Robbins! You cannot take a kitten on a booty call!"

"What? He get's lonely. And it's not a booty call!"

"I'm here."

"Yeah, but he needs cat friends and I don't think he likes you since you stepped on his tail."

"That was his fault! You are aware that he's a cat right? He is not a dog. He is not a child. Cats don't give a crap as long as you feed them and clean their poop up. They hate cars too. You're just going to scare him."

"I don't care, I'm taking him." Arizona was sure Teddy had no idea what she was talking about. They heard Arizona's phone ringing from upstairs.

"Your booty is calling!"

"I can't believe I left it up there!" She took off running up the stairs and down the hall at a sprint. She grabbed at her phone so fast, it flew off the nightstand. "Shit!" She scrambled around the floor trying to find where it went. "Don't hang up, don't hang up! Ha! Got you!" She looked to make sure it was Callie calling and answered completely out of breath. "Hello?"

"Arizona?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" After the other night, Callie was a little worried about the heavily breathing blonde.

"Yeah! I'm great! I was just…. Exercising! Yup."

"Oooookay."

"So."

"So."

"Alexa gone?"

"Yeah, her parents just picked her up."

"Give me fifteen minutes." Arizona hung up and ran back downstairs, slipping around on the wood floors in her socks and screaming, "Teddy!"

"What the fuck, Zona? What?" Teddy took in her red faced panting friend.

"I'm not ready for this!"

"Yes you are! We just had this discussion 5 minutes ago!"

"Okay, I'm going to go! Where's Sonny?"

"You're not bringing that damn cat with you!

"Fine! Why are you yelling at me?"

"Because _you're_ yelling at me!"

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. Now go." Teddy pushed Arizona out the front door.

"Wait, I need shoes!"

"Here!" Teddy threw a pair of converse at her feet. "Have fun!"

"I plan on it!" She gave Teddy one last smirk over her shoulder as she walked briskly to her car.

* * *

Callie paced around her apartment nervously. She had no idea what to expect from Arizona. She had been shocked when the blonde said she'd come over so late. Maybe she just wanted to sleep? Why would she drive across town in the middle of the night just to sleep? Actually, Callie would do it in a heartbeat if it meant spending just a little more time with Arizona. She thought back to the promise of her prize from earlier. It was Arizona's idea in the first place. Callie would never do anything her girlfriend wasn't ready for, even though she might burst into flames waiting.

Callie looked up when she heard a light tapping on her door. _Was that a knock or am I crazy? _She heard the tapping again, but louder. _Guess I'm not crazy this time. _As soon as she unlocked the locks and cracked open the door, it was pushed quickly against her, almost knocking her down. Callie saw a brief flash of blonde hair before warm lips were pressed against her own and hands were tangled in her hair. She felt herself being pushed backwards into her living room. Her strong hands holding tightly onto the blonde's arms to keep then upright. When she felt her legs slam into the front of her couch, she gasped allowing the chance to have Arizona's tongue slip inside her mouth. She moaned at the feeling of the other woman's tongue explorations. When Arizona felt the small piece of metal she stopped suddenly and pulled back to look at Callie with questioning eyes. The brunette just shrugged at her with an impish grin. Arizona smiled back and continued her assault on the brunette's mouth and tongue. Lips, teeth, tongues, and metal clashed, neither women really knowing whose was what. It was a little bit sloppy and completely hot. Callie's legs couldn't hold her up anymore and they collapsed backwards onto the couch, landing in an awkward heap. Arizona quickly maneuvered them so she was lying on top. She slipped a thigh in between Callie's legs and pushed down slightly then added more pressure, causing the brunette to release a low guttural moan against her tongue. The vibrations in her mouth and the sounds the woman under her were making lit Arizona's insides on fire. She rested her hand flat on Callie's stomach and moved to straddle the brunette's legs. She ran her hand up smooth skin to cup Callie's breast for the first time, moaning in approval when she discovered the Latina wasn't wearing a bra. When Callie felt Arizona swipe her thumb over her nipple, she pushed the blonde away from her. "No." She said sternly.

"Calliope! I promise I'm ready. Please don't make me stop." Arizona gasped for air. She lowered her head back down and kissed the brunette's earlobe, sucking it in between her teeth. "So, so ready."

"No." Callie pushed against her again. She couldn't let Arizona distract her, so she swiftly flipped them off the couch so could gain the advantage, landing on top. She leaned down and placed light kisses down Arizona's neck. "I won, remember?" Callie whispered. She looked into Arizona's eyes to make sure she was really okay with this. All she found was pure desire. Callie stood up and held her hand out to help her girlfriend off the floor and pulled her down the hallway. When they entered the bedroom, Callie swept Arizona off her feet and dumped her on the bed throwing the blonde into a fit of giggles. When Arizona saw the hungry look in chocolate brown eyes, she abruptly stopped all sound and swallowed hard.

"Callio-" She was silenced by a forceful kiss to her lips. Callie was kissing her with such passion and need, it was making the blondes head spin. She felt strong arms wrap around her, moving her up the bed so she was flat on her back. Before the blonde knew it, her shirt was gone and hot lips were moving slowly down her chest landing on her bra clad breasts. Arizona could feel the warm wetness from the brunette's kisses through the lace above her nipples. The sensation making her body shake slightly in anticipation. Callie couldn't handle it anymore and maneuvered the blonde out of her bra with quick practiced skill.

"Wow, not your first time?" Arizona said teasingly.

Callie slowly looked up from where she was admiring the new sight and locked eyes with the blonde's. Brown stared into blue for an intense moment. Callie cocked her head to the side and calmly shook her head no. She continued to stare into blue eyes as she ran her hand down Arizona's naked side and along the top of her pants, causing the blonde to shudder. Arizona could feel the brunette unfastening her jeans at an excruciating slow pace and they finally broke eye contact, when Callie moved down the bed to remove them. After she slid them off, she took in the full effect of the blondes nearly naked body. "Mariposa, you take my breath away." She said smiling down at the exposed woman on her bed.

Arizona couldn't figure out the look her girlfriend was giving her, but she liked it. It was a mixture of want, lust, and adoration. Callie moved to hover above the blonde and leaned down to kiss her. It was slow and unhurried, but held just as much passion as before. Holding herself up with one arm by Arizona's head, Callie cupped the blonde's creamy breast. It was the perfect handful. She squeezed it roughly and tore her lips away from the other woman's. Callie leaned down to flatten her tongue over a perfect pink nipple and smiled as she felt it harden against her mouth. She took it gently between her lips and moaned when she felt hands wrap around her head, pushing her down harder against her breast. Callie took this as a hint and used her teeth to bite down gently on the erect nipple. She felt Arizona buck her hips beneath her and whimper. Callie suddenly felt very trapped by the clothes she was still wearing and stood up again. Arizona was confused by the sudden loss of warmth above her. Her head was still spinning. She was overwhelmed by all the different sensations she was feeling throughout her body. She's never had anyone kiss her this way or touch her this way. By the time she went to open her eyes to figure out where the other woman went, she felt Callie straddle her hips. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that the brunette was no longer wearing pants or underwear. She could feel how wet she was against her bare skin. Callie didn't give her time to admire her body before she lowered herself over the blonde. Breasts to breasts. Stomach to stomach. Pelvis to pelvis. She slowly started kissing her again, giving them both the chance to soak in the amazing feeling of skin on skin contact. Callie remembered she needed to give Arizona's other breast some attention. It was only fair. This time she immediately took her nipple between her teeth, sucking and biting. The blonde whimpered and thrust her hips up again. The position they were in made their heated cores come together unexpectedly. They moaned in unison and Arizona used her hands to push down on Callie's hips, desperate to make contact again.

Callie grabbed her hands and pinned them above Arizona's head. "No touching." the brunette ordered. Arizona kicked her legs in protest. The blonde was getting very frustrated. If Callie didn't touch her soon she was going to spontaneously combust. She hoped she had fire insurance.

"Calliope! Please!" She tried really hard not to whine. Whining was not sexy. The brunette smirked at her and the blonde felt fingers sliding into her underwear.

Callie slowly ran her fingers through the wetness she found in between Arizona's legs. "You're so wet, babe." She said quietly. She pushed one finger inside of the blonde and pulled out completely. She did it again and again. Callie watched Arizona's concentrated face and smiled. The cute little whimpers and moans coming from the woman below her were becoming more frantic as she bucked her hips more. Callie dipped two fingers in and then pulled her hand entirely out of Arizona's underwear. She really wanted to taste the blonde and went to suck the juices off her own fingers. The smell on her hand was intoxicating. Arizona growled and opened her eyes in time to see where Callie was about to put her fingers. The blonde grabbed Callie's wrist tightly and redirected her fingers to her own mouth. They locked eyes while she licked and sucked her own juices off the shocked brunette's fingers.

"Mmmm..." Arizona moaned as she watched Callie's eyes darken. That seemed to have done the trick. Something inside the brunette snapped and she forcefully shoved her tongue into Arizona's mouth. She could taste the mixture of the blonde's arousal and the blonde's tongue. It was the best she has ever tasted. Callie needed more and she needed it now. No more teasing. She quickly kissed her way down Arizona's body and ripped her underwear off, kissing down her long toned leg and back up. She rubbed her hands up and down the blondes body, lightly grazing her fingernails over the sensitive parts of her ribs, inner thighs, and just above her mound. She could feel Arizona trembling below her waiting. Callie forced the blonde's legs open wider and placed hot open mouth kisses everywhere possible, except where they both wanted them most. She paused a moment to inhale and appreciate Arizona's arousal. It was making her head spin. She ran her tongue once through the blonde's folds to get her first full taste and sighed in approval. The blonde inhaled sharply and pushed her hips up to try to gain more contact. The brunette pushed her back down and took another small taste. Yup, Callie had found exactly what she has been looking for her whole life. Callie smirked to herself and continued kissing and nibbling the blonde's inner thighs. A little more teasing wouldn't hurt. Much.

Arizona was pleasantly surprised by the sudden aggression. The brunette's movements were fast and seemed aimless. Arizona could hardly keep up with her. She was having trouble controlling her breathing and was afraid she was going to pass out before the brunette even touched her where she desperately needed. She decided to take matters into her own hands and ran her fingers through the brunettes hair, guiding her to her center, pushing down. "Oh fuck!" She yelped when Callie instantly started sucking on her clit. She had expected resistance, since Callie seemed to want to be in control. She did not expect that. Definitely not that.

Callie didn't give a fuck who won what anymore and let Arizona guide her head and set the rhythm. The blonde was tugging her hair tighter and tighter and she moaned at the feeling. At Callie's moan, Arizona could feel herself coming close to her release. Callie could feel it too. They were both surprised by how well they could already read each other, without having to communicate verbally. Arizona started to feel the still familiar heat spread in her lower stomach that she hasn't felt in so long. Callie knew she was close and abruptly stopped what she was doing.

"What? C-Cal! What? Don't stop!" Arizona begged and panted. She propped herself up in her elbows to look down at the mess of curly raven hair between her legs. She saw large chocolate eyes staring back up at her and got so lost in them, she didn't notice Callie shift until she felt multiple fingers suddenly filling her. "Ahh! Fuck... Jesus Christ. Calliope! Fuck!" Callie loved hearing the blonde curse and it made her push deeper. The blonde was so wet, she was able to move in and out faster with ease. Callie watched her as her moans grew louder and her face twisted in pleasure. The blonde's tongue was peeking out a little bit and she was sucking in her lower lip. This was Callie's favorite part of sex. Watching the other person come completely unraveled because of what she did to them. She knew it made some women uncomfortable, but watching Arizona right now was beyond anything she could ever imagine.

Arizona could feel those chocolate eyes watching her and it turned her on even more. She had to move her arms to brace herself against the headboard above her. The brunette was pumping in and out of her so hard and fast, she was afraid she was going to slam her head into it. She has never felt anything so amazing before. Well, that was until the brunette flicked her clit a few times with the hard metal of her tongue ring while still working her magic with her fingers, instantly throwing Arizona into the most intense orgasm of her life. She definitely stopped breathing now and couldn't make any noise to vocalize her appreciation.

Callie smiled and stilled her fingers inside the blonde and continued to lightly lick around them as Arizona rode out her orgasm. She could feel her juices pouring around her hand. Callie decided that she had to do this every day for the rest of her life. Except for the heavy breathing and tiny aftershocks that shook the blonde's body, she was unusually quiet and unmoving. Callie was suddenly worried that she may have been a little too rough with her, especially since this was their first time together and her first time in years. She had meant to be slow and gentle at first, but something about the blonde made her lose all of her self control. She cursed at herself and pulled her fingers out of their happy place. Callie quickly crawled up her girlfriends body. The blonde's face seemed relaxed, but she wasn't sure if she was okay. She placed a soft kiss on Arizona's sweaty flushed forehead and brushed the blonde hair away that was sticking to her face. "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry. I got carried away."

Arizona opened her eyes as best she could. She was completely satiated and her entire body seemed heavy with exhaustion. Her eyes met worried brown ones. "Are you kidding me? That was awesome." She said quietly. Her throat was hoarse from breathing so hard.

A relieved smile spread across the brunette's face. "Really? Because I plan on doing that a lot."

"Be my guest." Arizona tried to lift her head up to kiss Callie, but it still felt like it was too heavy. She grabbed the brunette by the neck and pulled her down to her. Arizona could taste herself on the brunette's lips and went to lick the rest off of her chin, mouth, and even her cheeks.

"You're slobbering all over me!" Callie laughed trying to push herself off, but Arizona wouldn't let go. The blonde was remarkably strong for someone who just had her mind blown.

"I don't care, I taste good." She said having no idea that was one of Callie's top turn ons.

Callie felt herself getting even wetter between her legs, even though she didn't think that was possible. "Uh..." She stuttered. "Yeah, yeah you do."

Arizona kissed her again making sure she got the taste from inside her hot mouth too. "So, that tongue ring is new?" Arizona was pretty sure she would have noticed that before. "Totally hot by the way."

"Not really. I've had it since I was fifteen. I just haven't worn it around you yet." The truth was that Callie was going to let it close up, she felt a little too old for it, but put it back in on a whim earlier. Now she was very glad that she did.

"Oh."

They continued to lay on the bed hugging each other tightly in a comfortable silence. Callie was still on top of Arizona, her head resting on her chest listening to the soft beats of her heart. She lightly tapped her finger along to the rhythm. The blonde leisurely scratched up and down Callie's back. They each were lost in their own thoughts as they breathed in the smell of sex, sweat, and their shampoos. The combined scents calmed them.

"You're going to make me fall asleep." Callie said sleepily. It was half true. She was still very wet and very horny, but being in Arizona's arms like this made her feel completely at peace for the first time since when she was a kid and didn't know about the real world. She didn't want to be anywhere else.

Arizona opened her eyes and tried to flip them over, completely forgetting the fact that they were already at the edge of the bed. They landed on the floor with an 'oomph'. Luckily the smaller woman landed on top. "No sleeping! I haven't haven't had my turn yet and I really, really want it."

"How do you always end up on the floor?"

"Shut up and enjoy the ride." Arizona grinned down at Callie wickedly.

_Oh shit._

* * *

Cristina slowly approached her apartment. It was close to 1:00AM and she finally needed to go home. She was a little afraid of what Callie would do to her and hoped she would be in bed already. She stopped short at the top of the stairs when she saw that the door to her apartment was wide open, but it looked dark. "Cal?" She yelled out. After not receiving an answer, she cautiously moved closer to the open door. There was a large duffle bag she didn't recognize sitting just inside the doorway. Cristina kicked it aside and stuck her head into the apartment to look around. Everything seemed fine. She heard a loud thump coming from Callie's room and got worried. As she went to go check on her roommate to make sure she wasn't getting murdered, she heard that unmistakable familiar moaning and one that was not so familiar. "Oh gross, who could she possibly be doing now?" She turned to leave. There was no way she was going to stay for this. Since Owen was mad at her for her little stunt earlier, she would have to go to Meredith's. As she was leaving, curiosity got the best of her and she opened the mystery duffle. Sitting right on top were the heelies she knew only belonged to one person. _  
_

_Well, I guess they kissed and made up. _


	15. Chapter 14: What happened to your lip?

Callie was sure she was going to have rug burns on her ass and back tomorrow. The way her girlfriend was currently slamming into her with such ferociousness pretty much guaranteed it. Callie didn't care though. Not one bit. She would suffer through much worse pain if it meant experiencing this kind of pleasure over and over again. To say Callie was shocked would be an understatement. She did not think the perky, childlike, blonde pastry chef had it in her. Arizona had started off slow and caring, as Callie had expected. Taking her time to explore and worship the Latina's body. Slowly building Callie's orgasam up with each nip of her nipples, bite to her skin, lick of her tongue, scrape of her teeth, and hot kiss across every erogenous point Callie possessed. The brunette didn't know how it was possible that the blonde already found every single spot that made Callie quiver with desire. She even somehow managed to find that spot on the back of her neck that never failed to make Callie wet no matter what she was doing, where she was, or who she was with. Not many women know about it. Arizona was the third and Callie had to point it out to the other two.

Arizona knew she hadn't been fair by teasing Callie so much. She also knew she would be making it up to her later. This was the first time she touched another woman in five years and she's never been with anyone as sexy as Callie. Yes, Arizona had taken her time. She had made sure to worship every inch of the Latina's body. Arizona memorized every spot that made the brunette shudder, whimper, moan, and hiss. When Arizona had scraped her teeth along the spot on the lower part of Callie's neck, the brunette turned to putty in her arms. She knew she had found her weak spot.

The build up to Callie's release had been agonizingly slow, so she had swallowed her pride and finally begged for Arizona to touch her, fill her, lick her, anything! So here they were, Arizona was on too of her, their bodies sliding against each other slick with sweat. Callie had both her arms and legs wrapped around the blonde. Arizona was using her hips to help thrust her fingers deeper and harder and in and out of the brunette's wetness. The only sounds in the air were Callie's grunts, Arizona's heavy breathing, and the slapping sound of body meeting body. Arizona shifted a little, so she could reach her tongue down to Callie's waiting erect nipples. The things this woman could do with her tongue should be awarded a gold medal. She hasn't even felt it where she wanted to most yet. Callie growled just thinking about it.

"You okay?" Arizona looked up from where she had been making sure each perfect breast bouncing deliciously below her got equal attention.

"Y-Yeah." Callie managed to pant out.

"Good." Arizona lowered herself to capture the brunettes lips. She could feel her getting closer to release against her fingers and she wanted to make sure she was kissing her when it happened. There was something super sexy about a woman moaning and screaming out in pleasure inside her mouth. "You want to come for me, baby? I think we both deserve it."

"Yes!" Callie squeaked out against the blonde's lips. She knew Arizona was kissing her, but she couldn't focus in on anything other than what Arizona's magic hands were doing. Those hands that had built great stamina, strength, and dexterity over many years of meticulous cake decorating.

"Then come for me Calliope!" Arizona demanded and kissed the brunette hard again. She used her thumb to apply pressure to her erect clit. She felt Callie start to shake under her as frantic sounds of pleasure filled her mouth.

"Mmmmaaah!" Callie couldn't say anything since the blonde had attached her mouth to hers. She wasn't sure she'd be able to say anything anyway. She felt her orgasm travelling through her whole body at lightning speed. "Arizona! Fuck." She mumbled into her mouth. As her release hit her full force, she bit down hard on Arizona's bottom lip, causing the other woman to moan along with her.

Arizona felt the brunette tense around her. She was squeezing her whole body with her arms and legs and her teeth were latched onto her bottom lip. She was biting so hard, she thought there might be blood. Callie continued to hold on tight until after the aftershocks that rocked her body. The brunette suddenly released her arms and legs and the two woman collapsed onto the floor, both still breathing heavily. Neither woman said anything.

"Fuck. I think you killed me." Callie finally said. Her back was on fire and she was sure she would be walking funny tomorrow. She turned her head to look at the blonde laying next to her. She took in her swollen and bleeding lip. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"

Arizona touched her fingers to her throbbing lip and looked at them to see blood. "Calliope, it's fine. I liked it."

Callie gave her a lopsided smile. The muscles in her body still weren't quite working. "I don't know where that came from, but I'll take it."

Arizona laughed, "I'm sorry, I forgot how much I loved sex."

"You do not need to apologize for that. Because, wow. I've never felt like that before." Sex with Arizona was all consuming. It was a sensory overload. It was amazing.

"I know what you mean."

"Good first time back?"

"Oh yeah and I have a lot to make up for. I hope you're up for it."

Callie gulped at the intense stare the blonde was giving her. "I think that can be arranged." They continued to stare into each others eyes. Both lost in thoughts of their evening activities.

Suddenly Arizona moved so she was on top of Callie and hugged her tight. "Thank you, Calliope." She said softly.

"For what?"

"For being you. For being so amazing. I can't believe I'm lucky enough to have found you. Remind me to thank Lexie later."

"Okay." Callie smiled and yawned. She has no idea why they were thanking Lexie, but she didn't care right now. Exhaustion quickly overtook both woman.

"Want to get off the floor?"

"I don't think I can move yet and I think you got the bed all wet."

"Okay." Arizona reached up and grabbed the comforter off the bed. She dragged it down on top of them and grabbed a pillow for them to share. She placed a light kiss on Callie's lips and snuggled down in her arms. "Sweet dreams, Calliope." She only received a soft sigh in return.

Arizona woke up to the sun beaming in her eyes through the blinds. That could only mean one thing, she was late. She groaned as she shifted her body around. Sleeping on the floor with a perfectly good bed right next to them was a horrible idea. She felt something on her stomach and looked down to see that Callie had wrapped her arm around her middle during the night. The brunette was laying on her stomach with her hair spread out around them. Her entire back was exposed down to where the comforter just covered her butt. She had woken up to this beauty a few times before, but she was always clothed. This was new and something Arizona hopes happened more offen than not. Arizona noticed red streaks marring Callie's usually perfectly smooth skin. She smiled as she remembered what they did just a few hours ago. The blonde knew she should probably feel bad about them, but she didn't. It was amazing and they would heal.

Arizona ran her eyes over the colorful large peacock across the Latina's back. She's seen it before, but not this close. The colors and detail were awe inspiring. She ran her fingers lightly over the blues, yellows, greens, and purples of the magnificent bird. She thought it was an unusual choice, but in a way it made total sense. Peacocks are possibly one of the most beautiful animals in the world. They are unique and not afraid to show it. They are also proud and arrogant. Peacocks can eat poisonous plants and snakes and not be harmed. These things are much like Callie. She seemed to have taken the poison she's received from her last girlfriend and parents and thrived. Arizona ran her fingers across the brunette's broad shoulders and down to the half sleeve on the arm that was resting on her stomach. It was a tasteful swirly mixture of dark colors, calla lillies, and skeleton bones. Definitely a weird choice.

"I've always had a thing for bones." Callie said unexpectedly. Her voice was still heavy with sleep. Arizona remained quiet as she continued to trace the outlines of the tattoo. "And I like that calla lilies can symbolize innocence, death, and rebirth. I also just think they're pretty." Callie groaned and turned to lie on her back with great effort. Her floor was not comfortable. Arizona laid her head on her chest. She felt Arizona's fingers move across her chest, where she had small different color feathers floating. "Each color represents someone who has made an impact on me." Gentle fingers stopped over the light white one that was barely noticeable anymore. "Evangeline, innocent and pure." Then to the green one. "My father, wealth and he gave me life." They continued this way through the colors. Yellow. "My mom, the smartest person I know." Blue. "Aria, for good health. I couldn't stand to lose another sister." Red. "Alexa, she's so full of love and passion." Orange. "Mark, I don't know what I'd do without his positive energy in my life."

Arizona thought about Callie's words as she continued to poke at the feathers. They were so real looking she was sure she'd be able to pick them up. She moved her hand to cup Callie's soft cheek. Callie closed her eyes and sighed at the feeling. It was wonderful. She rubbed the blonde's bare back. The intimacy of just lying here silent and naked as they touched each other innocently was a new experience for both women.

Callie snapped her eyes open, "Wait, what are you still doing here? Don't you have to work?"

"I couldn't leave you. It's not like I can get fired. I might write myself up though to set an example. What should I put as the reason? 'Was late because she was up too late having sex with hot lady'?" Arizona smiled when she felt her head bounce up and down due to Callie's laughter.

"I'm glad you're still here. It would have been sad to wake up alone on the floor. Do you want to try to move to the bed now?"

"I really shouldn't. Can I use your shower? I smell like sex."

"I think you smell wonderful." Callie said with a cheeky grin.

"My customers will not appreciate it."

"Need help? I happen to be an excellent back scrubber."

"No! I'll never make it to work." Arizona sat up and looked around. "Where's my duffel?"

"Probably still in the living room. I'll get it. You shower." Callie attempted to stand up, but failed. Between the wonderful soreness in between her legs and the stiffness from sleeping on the floor, her limbs felt a hundred years older.

Arizona laughed, "Is there a problem?" She knew exactly what the problem was. Her body was feeling the exact same way.

"Shut up. This is your fault!" Callie said with a smile. She wasn't mad. In fact, she'd do it all over again right now... if she could only move.

"I didn't hear you complaining last night." Arizona said with smug look on her face.

Callie glared at her and finally made it to her feet. Arizona watched as the brunette hobbled out of the room in all her naked glory. When Callie managed to make it back, she found the blonde missing and heard the shower running. Callie flopped down on her expensive plush king bed and sighed in relief. _I knew I paid good money for this bed for a reason._

When Arizona got out of the shower she found Callie fast asleep with her duffle bag beside her. She was still naked and spread eagle across the bed. Arizona licked her lips as she roamed her body with her eyes. She wondered how much later she could be. _No, Arizona. Bad_! She grabbed her bag and got dressed. Arizona kissed Callie on the lips goodbye and smiled at the cute way her sleeping girlfriend scrunched up her face in response. She dug through her bag looking for the last things she needed to put on before she could leave, but didn't find them. _That's weird, I could have sworn I packed my heelies._

* * *

"Mark!" Callie yelled as she came through the back door of Evangeline's.

"He's not here yet!" She heard Meredith yell back.

"Damn it. Where is he?"

"I don't know. We all got back kind of late from the beach last night. Probably slept in."

"I thought you were going to try and do cakes today? You won a day off. You should go home."

"I was. I even woke up early, but when I got there Lexis was frantic because Arizona hadn't shown up yet and she had a lot to do. I told her I would go back later, so I thought I'd just hang out here instead of going all the way home."

"Oh, weird." Callie knew why Arizona wasn't there and suddenly felt guilty. "I think you'll be great at it. Should I start trying to find another piercer now?"

"No, let me try at least one day first before you kick me out." Meredith laughed.

They were interrupted by both Mark and Cristina coming through the front door. Mark handed Callie a large coffee. "Hey Cris! Hey Mark!" Callie said happily.

Cristina eyed her suspiciously. She had thought Callie would kill her as soon as she saw her. But now she was here being all nice and smiley. "Uh, hi?"

"Don't be so scared. I'm not mad." Callie was telling the truth, but that didn't mean she wasn't already planning her revenge for when her roommate least expected it.

"You're not?"

"No, after Arizona calmed down, she was fine. You are banned from spending any time with Alexa without adult supervision though."

"Okay." Cristina shifted on her feet nervously. She didn't know what to do. She thought for sure she was dead or at least fired and homeless. _Roller girl must give one hell of an orgasm._

Mark watched her curiously. He has never see Cristina Yang nervous about anything. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Cristina said and sat down in the closest chair to where they were taking.

"Right." Mark said and turned to find his best friend with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Cal?"

"What?" She bounced up and down still grinning.

"Do you have something you would like to tell me?"

"No." Callie's grin grew larger. She really wanted to tell her best friend about the best sex of her life, but wasn't sure how Arizona felt about her telling people.

"So, Cal, funny thing happened when I came home last night." Cristina smirked when she saw Callie's face fall.

"You came home last night? When?" _Oh my god. Did she hear us?_

"At about one. The odd thing was, our front door was wide open and you were nowhere to be found."

_Shit, how could I forget to shut the door? Well, I was a little bit distracted. Okay a lot distracted. _The grin returned to Callie's face. "I must have forgot to shut it before I went to bed."

"Oh you forgot? Well, there were some funny noises coming from your room and being the amazing friend that I am, I had to check to make sure you weren't being kidnapped or murdered." She gave Callie a knowing look that both Mark and Callie interpreted instantly. "Once I figured out you were in good hands, I went to Mer's."

Mark turned to Callie who had a guilty look on her face. "Well, well, well did you finally get to butter Blondie's muffin?"

"Mark," Callie said warning him to stop.

"Come on, Cal-Cals. Did you get to frost her cupcake?"

"Eat the cream from her cream puff?" Cristina liked this game.

"Pound her poundcake?"

"Suck the insides from her jelly donut?"

"Baked her cookie?"

"Creamed her whoopie pie?

"Iced her cinnamon roll?"

"Butternut her squash?"

"What?"

"I don't know, I'm grasping here."

"Packed her fudge."

"Sloan! No! That's not lesbians."

"Okay I'm out then."

"Me too."

Cristina and Mark looked at Callie expectantly. She gave them a Torres glare and crossed her arms.

"Oops, we're in trouble." Mark said.

"He started it!" Cristina pointed at Mark. She just got out of the last thing she did to piss Callie off. She didn't need to have her mad at her again already.

"You both suck."

"Well? Did you, did you?" Mark asked.

Callie threw her arms up and smiled. "Fine, yes. But that's all I'm saying."

"Nice! Was it hot?" Mark was sure he knew the answer by the blush that just crept up Callie's face. "Really Cal?! That good?" He has never known his friend to be embarrassed about talking about sex. So it either went really well or failed miserably. "Or was it horrible?"

"It was good! Definitely good. The best actually." Callie blurted out.

"I can't listen to this. Catching the live version was bad enough." Cristina left to go set up her work station.

"Wow, Cal. I'm glad. You're really not going to give me details?"

"Gross Mark, no! I will tell you that I'll be walking funny for a couple of days. That's it." Callie's shit-eating grin was back.

"I didn't think Blondie had it in her."

"Trust me, I didn't either."

They turned when they heard the door open and was greeted by their topic of conversation.

"Hey!" Arizona looked at Callie and Mark and set a box of pastries on the counter. They both looked like they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar, which of course meant they were talking about her. She walked over to Callie and pecked her on the lips. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Callie and Mark said in unison.

"Sure it's nothing. Is Meredith here?"

"Mer!" Callie yelled, making Arizona jump.

"What happened to your lip, Blondie?"

Arizona shifted her eyes to a guilty looking Callie. "I fell."

Mark saw the women exchange looks and smirked knowingly. "Oh, yeah? How?"

"Tripped on my shoelaces."

"That was clumsy of you."

"Yeah, that's me. Always falling. So, Meredith?"

"She was here earlier. Oh here she comes."

"Hey Arizona. I stopped by earlier and Lexie said you weren't there yet."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I had a late night and overslept." She heard Mark cough and sputter behind her and turned around in time to see Callie hit him on the back of the head. Callie looked back at her with a blank expression and blinked. "So, if you're ready now. Lexie is ready for you."

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Awesome!" Arizona took one last look at her girlfriend and led Meredith out the door.

Once they were gone Callie smacked Mark again. "Mark! You can't do that stuff. Not until I ask her if it's okay."

"I'm sorry it just came out. Are you going to tell me what really happened to her lip?"

"Absolutely not."

"Oh it's like that, huh? Nice." Mark knew it had to be something dirty or she would admit it. He'll get it out of her soon enough.

* * *

Arizona sat on her bed in her bra and jeans. After her amazing night with Callie, she vowed to start taking baby steps towards her complete happiness. She finally was starting to believe she deserved it. Arizona thought a good first step to take was showing her best friend the last art done by the man the both of them had loved more than anything in the world. She picked up Sonny and held him to her chest. "Sonny, will you help me do this?" Big green eyes stared up at her. "Thank you." She sighed and stood up. She had to do this now. Callie and her were driving Teddy to the airport tonight. She slowly made her way down the hall to the bedroom her best friend was staying in. She kissed Sonny's nose for good luck and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Arizona opened the door and stepped in. Teddy's back was to her facing the suitcase she was packing. "Teds?" She said in a shaky voice.

Alarmed by the way her friend's voice sounded, Teddy whipped around. Arizona was standing in the doorway in her only her bra and a pair of jeans. She was clutching onto her kitten and looked scared. Teddy would have laughed if she didn't feel the seriousness of the situation. "Zona, what are you doing."

"I wanted to show you something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"You know how Tim was working on those sketches for a tattoo for me?"

Teddy nodded. She had seen the sketches, but didn't think anything came of them. She had given them back to Arizona when she found them in his stuff.

"Well a couple of weeks before he died, he did this." Arizona quickly turned around before she lost her nerve. She heard Teddy gasp, but neither woman said anything. After a minute of silence, she felt fingers on her back.

"Zona... I don't know what to say." Teddy choked out. "It's really beautiful." She admired the purples, blues, and pinks of the butterflies and peonies. It fit Arizona's personality perfectly. Well, the Arizona she used to know. She looked towards the blonde's lower back and her heart broke. "Oh, Zona, it's not finished?" She knew why it wasn't.

"No, he never got the chance." She turned back around and they looked at each other silently. Both with tears in their eyes. This was new. Both women were tough and stubborn. Both usually dealt with their pain alone.

"I miss him, Zona." Teddy finally broke down into sobs.

"I know, me too." Arizona put Sonny down and hugged her friend. She knew it was her turn to comfort Teddy. Teddy had been so wonderful supporting her these past few years. Arizona never stopped to think that her best friend was is pain too. All of a sudden she was feeling very selfish. "Teds, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like you were there for me. Thank you. For everything." Teddy sobbed harder. Arizona squeezed tighter.

An unknown amount of time passed and Teddy's tears dried up. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Some last night together, huh?" She snorted.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." Arizona smiled. That was the truth. She vowed to never let Teddy down again. "I know I wasn't there for you before, but I promise I'm here now."

"It's okay. I know you were dealing with your own stuff." Teddy smiled back. "So, are you going to tell me what happened to you lip?"

Arizona burst out laughing, which made Teddy laugh. The tension and sadness quickly left the room. They were okay for now. "No, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't kiss and tell." Arizona beamed at her.

"Oh my god! Is that a sex injury? It's been one night and you already have a sex injury. I hate you." They heard the doorbell ring downstairs. "Fine. Saved by the bell."

"That's Callie!" Arizona ran downstairs still without her shirt.

"Zona! Put a shirt on! I don't want Callie to kill me. She's scary when she wants to be. Trust me, I lived it." Teddy yelled from upstairs.

"Too late!" Arizona yelled back while throwing open the door.

"Is this how you always greet your guests? Because I may have a problem with that."

"Calliope!" Arizona threw her arms around her girlfriend's neck. She was happy to see her and she was proud of herself for showing Teddy her brother's work. It was a good day. Callie laughed at the blonde and kissed her lips. "Mmmm, hi. Guess what!"

"Hey I wasn't done kissing you yet." She leaned down again and tried to continue their kiss.

"I have to tell you this." Arizona kissed her quickly and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Will you explain why you're answering your door in your bra?" Callie spotted Teddy coming down the stairs. "And wandering around the house where other women can see you?"

"Calliope, it's just Teddy." She waited for Callie to catch on.

"Wait, babe. Teddy can see you!" She smiled brightly. "You showed her?" Arizona nodded at her with a dimpled smile. Callie hugged her tightly, lifting her feet off the ground. "I'm so proud of you." She set her back down. "Are you okay?" She noticed Teddy and Arizona exchange sad looks.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Are you guys ready to go? I just thought of something I want to show you two." Callie said thinking of the spot she went to when she was feeling down and needed a rush

"Calliope, Teddy has a plane to catch."

"It's right on the way."

"Okay, let's go."

The three woman settled in for the hour drive to the airport. Since Callie still refuses to get in Arizona's mini, she drove her car.

"Thanks for the ride by the way, Callie. That shuttle was scary. I'm not sure the driver even had a license or a shower." Teddy said.

"It's no problem, really. I love to drive."

"Are you going to tell me what happened to Zona's lip? All I could gather was that it was a sex injury."

Callie eyed Teddy in the mirror and then looked sideways at the blushing blonde next to her. "You told her that?"

"No! She kind of just guessed and I didn't deny it. You can't be mad, you told Mark."

"I did no such thing. He guessed because I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face. I wasn't going to lie. I didn't give him any details though... well, other than the fact I was walking funny."

"You have a sex injury too! I hate you both." Teddy yelled from the back seat.

Callie laughed. "You know, you're allowed to talk to your best friend about us, right? You need someone to vent to."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish your best friend wasn't Mark."

"Would you rather me talk to Cristina?"

"Oh god no!" Arizona laughed. "I do not get that woman."

"She'll grow on you. So we agree it's okay to talk to only our best friends about each other right?"

"I can live with that."

"Does that mean I can know about the lip now?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"No!" the two women in front said in unison.

"Fine. You guys are no fun."

"We're plenty of fun!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get it out of you when you're drunk. I'm not worried about it."

"Hey! I don't tell secrets when I'm drunk!" Arizona was offended.

"Yeah, sometimes you do." Teddy has known Arizona their whole lives, she knew these things.

"Thanks for the tip Teddy." Callie said while taking Arizona's hand and placing it in her lap. "Do you have any embarrassing childhood stories to share?"

"Oh do I ever!"

The rest of the trip was spent poking fun at young Arizona and her brother's antics. Callie found out they were quite the troublemaking duo. She wished she could have met him.

When Arizona saw Callie taking the exit for the airport, she got confused. "Hey I thought you were taking us somewhere first?"

"I am. It's the same exit." She steered her car down a dark unlit road until she found the spot she was looking for. She parked the car and motioned for them to get out. She grabbed the blanket from the back seat and spread it out on the trunk and hopped on to sit on it. Teddy and Arizona followed her lead. The three women sat side by side on a deserted dark road in the middle of nowhere.

Finally Arizona had to ask. "Calliope what are we doing?"

"Waiting." She stared off into the distance. Teddy and Arizona sat and looked where the brunette was looking. They sat for about two minutes before they heard the distant sound of what sounded like a huge engine. The sound got louder and louder until it was almost deafening. They could feel the ground shaking below them. Callie yelled, "Turn around!" Arizona and Teddy turned around and screamed when they saw a huge Boeing 747 coming right at them.

"Callie! It's going to hit us!" Arizona yelled.

"No it's not! Just wait!"

The plane came closer and closer. Faster and faster. It suddenly lifted up off the ground and flew so low over them they were forced backwards by the wind. Adrenaline coursed through their bodies as they watched the plane fly higher and off into the distance. Callie looked down to see huge smiles on Arizona and Teddy's faces. "Amazing, right?" She grinned back. They were still breathing heavily from the rush.

"We have to do that again!" Arizona yelled. Her ears still ringing from the loud plane. They sat and waited for two more planes. Arizona stood in the middle of Teddy and Callie holding both of their hands. Between the early hours of this morning and now, today was easily the best day she has had since her brother died and it was all because of Callie.

"We need to get going. Teddy's plane is leaving soon and she still needs to get through security." Callie saw the disappointment in Arizona's face. "We can come back some other time. I promise." She kissed Arizona softly on the lips and pulled the reluctant blonde to the car.

Callie said her goodbyes to Teddy and waited at the curb of the airport so she could let the two friends say goodbye in private. She didn't think she would survive if Mark lived all the way across the country.

"She's really great, Zona."

"I know. Do you have to go?"

"Yeah, duty calls."

Arizona hugged Teddy and didn't want to let go. "I love you, Teds."

"Love you too, Zona. I'm glad I came out here to check on you. I know you'll be fine. Can you give Callie this for me?" She handed Arizona a sealed envelope. "Don't open it. I'll know if you do."

"What is it?"

"You'll see."

"Okay. Call me when you land."

"Will do!" Teddy walked towards security. She turned back and yelled, "Call your mother!"

Arizona shook her head and laughed. Teddy was right, she should really call her mom soon. When she found Callie, she handed the envelope to her. "Teddy told me to give you this."

"What is it?"

"I have no idea and I really want to know. Open it!"

"Here you can open it."

"Yay!" Arizona tore open the envelope and gasped. "Calliope, I dated my last girlfriend for three years."

"I know?" Callie's face scrunched up in confusion. "So?"

"Teddy only spent a few days with you and she wanted you to have this." Arizona handed the piece of paper to Callie. "She never ever gave it to Lizzy. This is very important to me." She smiled as Callie read the paper. Definitely the best day ever.

_I, Theodora Altman, hereby give my official seal of approval to one, Calliope Torres_.

* * *

**Nic's note**

To those of you who read my one shot, thank you! If you haven't, why not? I'm considering continuing it, but it wouldn't happen while I write this one. My poor brain couldn't handle two stories at once.

Until next time folks!


	16. Chapter 15: You or me?

**Alright you dirty birds next chapter is here. I learned to not write when I'm pmsing, because I'm just cranky and nothing seems to flow right. **

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey dad!"

"My little butterfly, is that you?!"

"Don't sound so shocked!"

"We have hardly heard a word from you in months. What do you expect? Your mother had to send Theodora out there to check on you."

"I'm sorry. I've just been busy. You know how much work goes into the business. Is mom home?"

"Barbara! Your daughter is on the phone! Pick up the other line."

Arizona heard a squeal and some shuffling from the other end. "Daniel! Where's the cordless? Nevermind!" Some more shuffling and a click of the other line. "How do you work this silly thing? Daniel! Is it working?!" Barbara yelled into both of their ears.

"Barbara! For gods sake. You don't have to yell! It's working just fine."

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear anything so I didn't know. Next time you use the cordless."

"I can't hear anything on that damned thing!"

"That's because you're an old man!"

"Watch what you say, old woman."

Arizona smiled as she listened to her parents banter. She was sure they were sitting in the same room, but we're talking to each other through the two phones. She forgot how much she missed them.

"You weren't calling me an old woman last night!"

"Mom!"

"Oh sorry dear, I forgot you were there." Barbara laughed. "So what do we owe this pleasure?"

"I was just calling to say hi."

"You never call to say hi. What's wrong honey?"

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is awesome!"

"Is the bakery going well?"

"It's going really well! I'm starting to really like it here. The people in the town are so nice and supportive. I've met a lot of good friends too. They've been helping me get settled." Arizona didn't want to say anything about Callie yet. It was too soon. She didn't want to get her parents hopes up.

Barbara and Daniel Robbins could hear the happy change in their daughter's voice. Something they haven't heard for a long time. They exchanged a few glances, a silent conversation only two people who have been married for 35 years could have. Barbara nodded at Daniel. "What else are you not telling us?"

"Nothing, Dad." Arizona smiled at the thought of Callie. "I just think I can be happy here for a long time."

Barbara raised her eyebrows at her husband. He sighed and nodded. "Who is the woman?"

"What? I don't need a woman to be happy. I'm doing it myself." She lied. She very much needed Callie to be happy. She smiled, "I wouldn't jinx it if there was anyway, so you can stop asking."

Daniel and Barbara both knew she was lying. Daniel nodded at Barbara, giving her permission to pull out the big guns. "Arizona Robbins! Are you finally having sex?"

"Oh my god, Mom!" Arizona blushed. "I'm not talking to you two about my sex life."

"That's a yes then! Oh Daniel, she finally found someone!" Barbara squealed. She's been waiting for her daughter to settle down for so long. She wasn't getting any younger and needed some grandchildren to spoil. The smile in Arizona's voice proved that something special was happening.

"Barbara, you don't know that. Maybe she's just having fun."

"Dad!"

"No, I know my daughter. This is special and she's not a tramp!"

"Just because she's having fun, doesn't mean she's a tramp. As long as she's safe, what's the problem? Are you being careful honey?"

"This is not happening right now! We are not having this conversation."

Barbara and Daniel exchanged smiles. They loved having fun with Arizona like this. It was just too easy to embarrass her. "Fine dear. When can we visit?"

"Are you sure you both can leave the bakery?" Arizona asked relieved her mom changed the subject.

"Of course! We'll figure it out. I know you won't be able to come see us anytime soon. We just want to see our beautiful butterfly."

"I'll see what I can do and get back to you."

"Okay honey. We should get to bed. It's getting late."

"Okay Mom. I love you both."

"We love you too sweetheart. Try calling us more often!"

"I will. Bye!" Arizona hung up and chuckled to herself. She could never have just a normal conversation with her parents. She looked at the clock and decided it was time to get ready to go meet Callie.

* * *

Callie stood in her bathroom staring at her reflection in the mirror. It has been exactly one month since Arizona agreed to be her girlfriend and they were going to Joe's tonight to celebrate. They have spent the last month almost inseparable. Arizona wasn't kidding when she said she needed to make up for five years of missed sex. The past month has been filled with sex and work and not much else. There hasn't been a lot of talking, just a lot of fun. Callie had been neglecting her friendships a little bit. She knew they'd understand.

Callie looked down at the bite marks just above her chest and smiled thinking about how they got there. Things have been going great with Arizona. Almost a little too great. Callie couldn't help but think something was going to go wrong. Something always goes wrong. It's not Arizona. No, she's amazing. Perfect. Callie was worried about herself and what she was going to do to screw it up. She looked at her reflection and sighed. People tell her all the time that she is beautiful. Most of the time she believed them. She never had any trouble getting women to go out with her. The issue was getting them to stay. She used to have more self confidence than this. Her ex destroyed it. Her parents destroyed it. Her frequent one nighters before Arizona destroyed it. She hated herself for doing it. She wished she had just waited for Arizona to come along first. Callie knew she couldn't change it now.

Arizona was showing her that maybe she was worth more. But then again, this is how her relationship with Erica started. Callie laughed at herself. Arizona was nowhere close to Erica. She shouldn't compare them. But, what if Arizona realized later she wasn't worth it? She worried she pressured Arizona into this too fast and too hard. She was afraid the blonde would shut down on her one day. Callie hated feeling like this. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. She wished she could turn her brain off. Callie had been so wrapped up in helping Arizona that she had forgotten about herself.

Callie looked back up at her reflection and her heart skipped a beat when she saw worried blue eyes staring back at her. They continued to stare into each others eyes through the mirror. Neither woman wanting to be the first to speak.

Arizona was excited to be going out tonight. Callie and her haven't been out much since they've been official. They would go to work and then go home to enjoy each others company. They switched whose house they would go to. Callie's was more convenient, but Arizona didn't have an obnoxious roommate. Spending time with Callie has been wonderful, but the past couple of days she had been feeling the brunette pulling away from her. Arizona was worried that maybe she was too much work and Callie has finally had enough. She had another nightmare about a week ago and Callie was there again to console her again.

When she had knocked on Callie's front door, she was disappointed when Cristina answered. Cristina just pointed her finger towards Callie's bedroom and disappeared into her own. After knocking on the bedroom door and not receiving an answer, she slowly opened it. She didn't see Callie and went to shut it. Then she remembered the bathroom. That's where she found her beautiful girlfriend dressed only in a towel and staring down at the sink deep in thought. Her make up was done and her hair was straightened. This is the first time Arizona has seen her hair straight. She was captivating. Arizona spent five minutes trying to read Callie's expressionless face. She looked so lost in her thoughts. She saw a brief flash of pain before the brunette looked up and locked eyes with her.

"How long have you been there?" Callie finally asked.

"Long enough." Arizona took a step closer. "Calliope, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I must have spaced out."

"What were you thinking about."

"You." Callie smiled.

"Good things?"

"Always."

Arizona decided not to push it. She took another step into the bathroom and wrapped her arms around Callie's waist. She planted a few kisses along her naked back. "Mmm, you smell good. You almost ready? Although I do find the towel dress incredibly hot, I don't feel like fighting off all the other people who agree with me."

Callie smiled halfheartedly, "Yeah, I just need to put clothes on. Then we can go." Callie turned in Arizona's arms. The blonde was wearing heeled boots that raised her taller than Callie in her bare feet. This was different and they both found themselves liking the change in position. Arizona leaned down to lightly brush Callie's soft lips with her own. She could taste the mint of the brunette's toothpaste. She cradled Callie's cheek to deepen the kiss, her tongue lightly outlining her full upper lip. Callie sighed as she felt the tip of her girlfriends tongue enter her mouth and met her halfway, twisting her own tongue around the blonde's. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona to pull her in closer. They continued to kiss each other slowly and tenderly, both women taking their time to enjoy each other. Callie pulled back from Arizona's lips and rubbed their noses together before resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. Callie's heart was telling her she was meant to be here. She had to listen.

"Arizona?" Callie said after a moment of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk later?"

"Good talk or bad talk?" Arizona was nervous. Walking in on Callie looking so lost worried her, but their kiss told a different story.

"Good, I hope."

"Okay, we'll talk later." She pulled Callie's head up and pecked her on the lips. "Happy one month!" The dazzling smile Callie gave her in response made her heart skip a beat. Arizona knew they'd be okay.

* * *

They had been at Joe's for about half an hour, dancing to the fast beat of the music. Callie laughed as Arizona bounced around her wildly. She liked this carefree version of her girlfriend. She didn't give a shit about what other people though, as long as she was having fun. Callie looked up to see some of their friends enter the bar and dragged Arizona off the dance floor to meet them at their usual table.

"Hey guys!" Arizona greeted Lexie, Mark, Alex, Cristina, and Meredith. "Since you guys are here, I have an announcement. If its okay with you Mer?" She saw Meredith nod her head. "Dun, dun, na na! I present to you, Meredith Grey, the newest Awesome Bakery team member!" Arizona said with great fanfare. Everyone rolled their eyes at her except for Callie who was looking at her with an endearing grin. "Come on you guys, this is exciting! Oh!" She pulled out a package from her bag and handed it to Meredith. "Open, open, open!"

Meredith ripped the paper off and smiled shyly at what was inside. Arizona had gotten her her own chef coats with her name embroidered on them. "Thank you."

"Now I know you're still a newbie, but I wanted you to have these as something to look forward to when you're done with your apprenticeship." She hugged a stiff Meredith. "Welcome to the team!"

"I can't believe this, Mer. Why didn't you tell me?" Cristina did not like being blind sided like this. Especially by Arizona.

"I didn't think you would be happy about it." Meredith had spent the last month splitting her time between the tattoo shop and the bakery. It was exhausting, but she was a natural at it and Lexie was a good teacher. When Arizona had come to her to officially offer her a job, she didn't hesitate. After talking to Callie and Mark, they offered to let her start right away saying they'd deal with her clients for her.

"Of course I'm not! I won't get to see you all the time now and you're going to turn into one of them. All smiley and perky and pink."

"Hey! I am not smiley, perky, or pink." Alex said.

"Cris, I'm still going to be me. I really like doing this. So be happy for me, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Cristina could see that it indeed was making Meredith happier, which was kind of scary. She like dark and twisty better.

"Joe! A round of tequila on me to celebrate my newest employee!" Arizona yelled across the bar.

"Coming right up!"

After a few shots everyone had a happy buzz. Only Lexie seemed to be leaning more towards the drunker side. She was now whispering things into Mark's ear who had a devilish smirk on his face.

"Oh fuck no, what is she doing here?" Cristina whispered in Mark's other ear. Callie hadn't seen the woman who had just entered the bar yet and Cristina was hoping to keep it that way. Luckily Arizona had her distracted with her tongue at the other side of the table facing away from the door.

Mark looked up to see who she was talking about. "I don't know, but we're going to go find out." He whispered back. "Heading to the bar. Anyone want drinks?" He said louder so everyone at the table could hear.

"I'll go with you." Cristina said standing up. They quickly walked up to the woman who destroyed their best friend. Cristina grabbed her by the arm and pushed her into a corner, blocking the view from the table. "What the fuck are you doing here, Hahn?"

"First of all, don't ever touch me again and second, this is a bar. I came to drink." Erica said with a slimy grin that Mark wished he could slap off her face. He'd never hit a woman, but he might reconsider that stance with this one.

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Mark tried to keep his voice down, but they were already drawing attention from the people around them. "If you're here to try and weasel back into her life, you can forget about it."

"I see she still has you too goons fighting her fights for her."

"Shut up, Hahn or you're really going to see a fight."

Arizona noticed Callie's Jack and Coke was empty and picked it up. "You want a refill, babe?"

"Yes please." Callie kissed Arizona's cheek and turned back to her conversation she was having with Meredith about who they should get to replace her. They already had a few interviews lined up for the next day.

Arizona walked up to the bar and heard Mark's booming voice coming from somewhere to her right. She stepped that way and saw that both Cristina and Mark had a blonde woman she hasn't seen before cornered against the wall. All three looked very pissed off. She decided to see what was going on and approached them quietly. She stopped just close enough so she could hear.

"Where is she? Is she here?" Erica tried to push her way past Mark and Cristina, but they weren't budging. "Let me go."

"No, you're going to turn around and walk right back out that door. Got it?" Cristina started to grab her arm again.

"I said don't touch me! I just need to tell her something. That she made a mistake."

"If you think she'd actually take you back, you're even more bat shit crazy than we thought, Erica."

Arizona gasped when she heard Cristina say the name. She now knew why her friends had her cornered and smiled at how protective they were being. Maybe Cristina and Mark weren't so bad.

"Of course she'll take me back! I've heard the rumors. She's lost without me." Erica smirked again.

Arizona decided she needed to step in now. "Hey guys, what's going on?" She saw Mark and Cristina giving her wide eyed looks, but Arizona narrowed her eyes in on the other blonde hair woman. She shivered at the ice she found in her blue eyes. She wondered what Callie was thinking with this one. Arizona could already tell she was an awful human being and Callie was way out of her league. "Is there a problem here?"

"Who the hell are you?" Erica snarled.

"That doesn't matter. I need you to leave please." Arizona smiled sweetly. She dared this woman to question her.

Callie noticed that Arizona, Mark, and Cristina had been gone for a long time. She looked towards the bar where they had said they were going. She didn't see any of them and decided to go find them. Maybe Arizona would be up for a make out session in the bathroom. Callie stopped short when she saw the scene at the other side of the bar. All the bad feelings that Erica had made her feel came flooding back as soon as she saw the blonde. She never wanted to see that woman again, but knew she needed to get Arizona out of there.

"Whatever. I'll ask one more time. Where is Callie? I have to talk to her. Show her what she's missing out on."

"And I'll tell you one more time. You need to get the fuck out before I have to remove you myself you little bitch." Arizona's voice was still quiet and calm. Mark and Cristina gaped at the two woman. They have never heard Arizona use that kind of language. They also have never heard anyone, except for them, talk to Erica that way. Erica usually had people wrapped around her little hobbit finger. Neither one of them wanted to explain to Callie that they got her girlfriend killed.

"Seriously who are you?" Erica looked over the blonde's shoulder to see Callie approaching them. She grinned when she saw her cower behind Mark. She knew she still had power over the beautiful Latina.

"Just someone who cares enough about Calliope to do anything in my power to protect her." Arizona had also seen Callie hide behind Mark. It was completely out of character. This was not her badass confident girlfriend. This was a vulnerable and scared shell of her. It made Arizona even more angry. What had Erica done to her?

"Calliope, huh? You must be one of her little whores I've been hearing about." Erica laughed when she saw the blonde clench her fists. "She's obviously not over me if she's sleeping around trying to forget me."

"That's not true." Arizona's voice was getting louder now. Callie, Mark, and Cristina knew they needed to do something, but all three were frozen.

"I think it is." Erica leaned in and lowered her voice so only Arizona could hear her. "Did she do that thing with the tongue ring for you? It's always been my favorite." She smirked and raised her eyebrows.

Arizona wanted more than anything to punch that smirk off her smug ugly face, so she did. Erica flew of her feet and landed on the ground. Arizona kneeled next to her head and leaned down. "You go near her again, I'll break you. Who will people believe? You or me?" Arizona whispered in the blonde's ear. She smiled sweetly and stood back up. She turned to face Callie, Mark, and Cristina. They all wore matching shocked looks. "What?" Arizona asked sheepishly. She probably should have thought that through.

"Arizona!" Callie yelled, making Arizona wince. The blonde thought for sure she was in trouble. "Are you okay?" Callie looked at her with worried eyes. Okay so maybe Arizona wasn't in trouble.

"I'm fine." Arizona had taken classes on how to protect herself after her brother died. She had also taught herself how to fight. She never thought she would use those skills for this though. She suddenly felt really bad. "I'm sorry, she was just saying things and it kinda just happened."

"No, Arizona. Thank you." Callie was honored that her girlfriend had stood up for her. "I don't know what else to say."

Erica got over the shock of being punched in the face and slowly stood up. "Joe! Call the police. I want this woman arrested for assault."

"Assault? I didn't see any assault happening. Did anyone else here see anything like that?" Joe looked around the bar. Everyone's attention had been on them since they heard the fist and face connect.

"No! But I did see that lady trip and hit her face on the corner of the bar." Lexie yelled out.

"Yeah, me too! You should really get that checked out Joe. It's dangerous." Alex agreed.

"You guys are right, I'll get that fixed." Joe winked at Arizona and went back to washing dishes.

Arizona turned to Erica, "See. You or me? You've been dismissed." She said with a wave of her hand.

Everyone clapped as they watched Erica storm out of the bar. Nobody liked her from the start, but tolerated her for Callie's sake.

"Oh my god, Roller Girl! That was the coolest thing I have ever seen! I actually have some respect for you now."

"Gee thanks Cristina."

"Wait right here!" Cristina turned and ran out the door.

"Blondie, I didn't know you had it in you. Thank you for protecting our girl." Mark whispered in her ear as he gave her a hug. He hugged Callie next, "I'm sorry you had to see her again, but Blondie is a keeper. Totally hot."

Callie laughed, "Yeah, she is. "

"Calliope, can we go. Everyone is staring at me and I'm suddenly very tired."

"Of course, but we have to go to your place. What I have planned for you is not for roommate ears. What you did back there? Super hot."

Arizona gulped at the smoldering look her girlfriend was giving her. "Really?" Callie nodded emphatically and grabbed Arizona's hand to lead her out the door.

Cristina came pounding down the stairs as she saw them leaving. "Wait, wait! Arizona!"

Arizona turned to her in shock. She couldn't remember a single time Cristina had ever used her actual name. It sounded foreign coming from her. She saw what she was carrying and grabbed then. "Cristina! I've been looking everywhere for these! I thought I lost them. Do you know how hard it is to replace adult heelies?"

"Yeah, I bet it's hard, since they shouldn't exist for adults." Cristina paused. "I mean I thought you should have them. Anyone who punches Erica Hahn is badass. Heelies and all."

"Awww! Cristina are you being nice to me?"

"No."

"Yeah, you are. I'm going to hug you now." Arizona put her arms around Cristina's shoulders while Cristina just stood stiffly with her arms plasters to her side. Callie watched how uncomfortable Cristina was and laughed.

"Uh, well this has been fun. I'm going to go." Cristina took off for the bar before anyone could stop her to ask why she had her stupid heelies in the first place.

Arizona skipped up to Callie. "I dont know how she has these, but I'm so happy to have them back, I'm not going to even ask."

"Probably a good idea." Callie kissed Arizona on the cheek. "You're so adorable."

"I'm not adorable! I'm hot!"

"You're both. That's why I like you."

"I thought you liked me for my charming personality and my skills in the bedroom."

Callie laughed, "Those too! There are many reasons why I like you."

"Oh yeah? What else?"

"Since I don't really want to stand out here all night, let's go and we'll talk about that later."

"Okay, but we're taking my car. We don't work tomorrow, so no excuses."

"Arizona, why?" Callie whined.

"Because you're so cute when you whine! Come on."

Callie got in the passenger seat and slumped down as low as she could go, but was still visible because of her height. Arizona drove by the front of the bar in time to see their friends coming out. She honked her horn and wave frantically at them. Callie slapped her leg. "You're mean!"

Arizona chuckled, "Maybe a little bit."

Now that they were in the quiet calm of the car, they were able to think about what just happened at the bar. The adrenaline of seeing Erica and then seeing Arizona clobber her has worn off of Callie and the feelings she was having in her bathroom were coming back. "Arizona, I'd still like to have that talk before we do anything else." Callie said seriously. No more distracting sex.

Arizona sensed the atmosphere change in the car and got worried again. "Yeah, of course."

"You want something to drink?" Arizona asked as they entered her house. "I've got beer, coffee, tea, water..."

"Decaf?"

"You got it!" Arizona said a little too enthusiastically, her nerves getting the best of her.

Callie went upstairs to put her stuff in the bedroom and came back down to sit at the breakfast bar. She watched Arizona move around her kitchen. She wasn't sure where to start the talk. "What did you think of me when you first saw me?"

Arizona frowned and didn't look up from the coffee grounds she was scooping. She wasn't expecting that question. "Well, I thought you were miraculous. Breathtakingly stunning. I couldn't stop looking at you. I'm pretty sure I drooled."

"And what do you think of me now?"

Arizona looked up from the coffee and looked into apprehensive brown eyes. "Why?"

"Just answer the question."

"I still think those things, but I know you're so much more than that. I think, no I know that you've got the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met. You make me want to be a better person. I know you're caring, patient, intelligent, trustworthy, honest, selfless, fiercely loyal, protective, strong, honorable, respectful of my needs, you make me laugh, you make me feel better when I cry... Calliope, do you need me to go on? Because I can."

"No." Callie looked down at her hands. She has always tried to be a good person, but felt like she failed at it. All those things Arizona was saying didn't feel true.

"You don't believe me, do you?" She watched Callie shrug her shoulders, still staring down at her hands. She slid a mug of coffee in front of the brunette and ducked her head down to capture her eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

Callie looked up and sighed. "Arizona, I'm terrified you're going to figure out that I'm not what you think I am."

"What do you think you are?" Arizona hated seeing Callie like this. She would convince Callie she wasn't lying. Arizona knew what it was like to feel like she wasn't worth it. She cursed at her selfishness. She was doing the same thing with Callie that she had done to Teddy. She took so much from them, but didn't give enough.

Callie looked down again. She couldn't stand the way Arizona was looking at her with adoration, understanding, and a little of something else she couldn't quite pinpoint. "I don't know. A hot mess."

"You got the hot part right." Arizona tried to lighten the mood. Callie ignored her. "Okay, it's serious time."

"You don't know what I've done."

"There's nothing you could have done to make me like you less." Arizona grabbed Callie's chin and forced her head up to look at her. "My feelings for you are unconditional."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Calliope, what is it?" Arizona's heart broke at the turmoil she saw in Callie's face. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Callie suddenly stood up and walked out of the kitchen. Arizona followed. They were going to do this and they were going to do this now. Callie had made it to the top of the stairs. "Calliope, don't you dare run away from me!" She yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Why not? You do it all the time. You're an expert at it!"

"Don't you dare make this about me!"

"Isn't everything about you?!" Callie regretted it as soon as she said it. She knew it. She knew she'd screw this up. She sat down at the top step and buried her head in her hands.

"I know what you're doing! You're upset at yourself and taking it out on me! That is not fair. I won't let you do it Callie!" Arizona climbed the rest of the stairs and closed the distance between them. She took the now crying brunette into her arms.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?!"

"Callie what is this about?" Arizona asked again. "Is it about Erica?"

"No... yes... kind of. And you."

"Me? Did I do something?"

"No." Callie didn't offer anymore information.

"I don't get it."

"Did I rush you into this? Did you I pressure you?"

"Calliope, I never do anything I don't want to do. I'm a big girl I can make my own decisions. Did I make you think otherwise?"

"No."

"I'm starting to think you are trying to find reasons that this won't work."

"No! It just feels too perfect. I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"It is pretty great isn't it?" Arizona smiled, which made Callie smile. Arizona's smiles are infectious. "There's my beautiful girlfriend."

Callie sighed, "Arizona don't."

"What?"

"Don't call me beautiful."

"But you are?"

Callie blinked at her and decided to just get it out. "When Erica and I started dating it started off really great too. Then she changed. She broke me and then she hurt me in the worst way by cheating. I don't know why I wasn't good enough for her. I did everything to make her happy. I gave up my friends for her. I know I told you a little before, but I've never told anybody how bad it was. She had this weird power over me. I was, no I am, so embarrassed." Callie couldn't help it, she started to sob. "And then when she was gone, I decided to never do that again. I needed to get my control back..." She couldn't believe she was going to tell her girlfriend this. "I... started bringing random women home. I'd screw them and then kick them out. I treated them like shit. It didn't make me any better than Erica." Callie tried to push Arizona away from her, but the blonde wouldn't budge.

"Calliope stop! I'm not going anywhere." Arizona wasn't surprised by what Callie said. She had already started piecing that all together. "Too be honest, I'm a little hurt you even think I'd ever do that to you."

"I don't think that. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't get out of my head. I want us to work so, so bad. I like you a million times more than I've ever liked anyone."

"Do you trust me?"

"Absolutely."

"Then you need to trust that I'm not lying. You have to trust that when I say I'm all in, I actually mean I'm all in. Remember what you said to me? You want all the parts, even the messed up ones. Same goes for me. I want all of it. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure these things work both ways in a relationship. I mean my ex didn't really know that, but I'm learning. I know that Callie who messed up is not the real Calliope, so I am not worried about it."

Callie snorted, "We should start an asshole ex girlfriend club."

Arizona laughed, "Don't change the subject. Promise me you believe me. You're so great."

"I promise I'll try."

"I guess that's okay." Arizona finally let go of Callie and looked at her face. "And you called me an ugly crier!"

Callie laughed and pushed Arizona over on her side. "Be nice!" They spent the next ten minutes picking imaginary lint off at the rug around them, each lost in thought.

"How many?" Arizona asked softly. It didn't matter to her, but she had to know.

"I don't even know. Sometimes I was too drunk to remember." All Callie felt was shame.

"Okay."

"How did our roles get reversed?"

"Im glad they did. I want to help you for a change. Not that I'm glad you need it."

"I know what you mean." Callie went to grab Arizona's hand, but the blonde jerked it back. Callie saw the look of pain on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Erica's face was harder than I thought." Arizona now wished she had punched her more than once.

"I still can't believe you did that." Callie started to laugh. "I should have just stayed in my towel, you ended up in a fight anyways."

Callie's laughter was music to Arizona's ears. "It's not a fight of it's one sided." Arizona smiled proudly. Erica never stood a chance.

"Thank you again. No one has ever done anything like that for me before."

"I'd do it over again if I had to. I like protecting you. I mean I know you don't need me too, but I protect the things that I love." Arizona watched Callie's eyes grow wide. _Holy crap, I did not just say that out loud?!_ "I mean... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. It just came out." Arizona thought it over. She's never felt anything like this before. _So, is this what love actually feels like? I like it!_ Callie was still staring at her wide eyed and it was making her squirm. "Calliope, I said I'm sorry. Stop staring at me."

"Did you mean it?" Even though Arizona said it was an accident, Callie couldn't help but think about what it could mean. She was too scared to let herself admit it before, but she knew she loved the terrified looking blonde in front of her more than anything. It was probably too soon, but it felt right.

"Um..." She hadn't mean to say it, but she definitely meant it. _Ah, fuck it._ "Yes!"

Callie took in Arizona's sparkling eyes and her toothy dimpled grin. She made her squirm a bit longer, before returning her smile. "Arizona Robbins, I've loved you the moment I saw you dancing around your bakery in those stupid heelies."

"I knew I could love you from the moment you called my shop a bubblegum Easter basket."

"This is getting mushy."

"Yeah." Arizona sprang up from her position on the floor and threw herself onto Callie, knocking her on her back. "You want to show me how hot I was protecting you now?"

Callie's only response was a hungry kiss. Arizona responded immediately with just as much passion. Callie sat up and Arizona straddled her lap. She ripped off the blonde's shirt and threw it to the side. Her bra came off next and Callie through it behind her. Suddenly hands and clothes were flying everywhere, each woman desperate to get rid of all remaining barriers, never breaking contact from their kiss.

"Not here... Bed." Callie said against the blonde's lips. She felt the other woman nod and went to stand up. When she entered the bedroom, she pushed Arizona onto the bed. As the blonde scooted backwards up to the center, Callie stalked up her body. She slowly lowered herself down onto the smaller woman. She looked into waiting blue eyes. Suddenly she knew this was going to be different. Callie lowered her head to nibble on the blondes ear, whispering soft 'I love yous'.

When Callie kissed that one spot behind her earlobe, Arizona's insides hummed with pleasure. She cupped both of Callie's cheeks to bring them face to face. "I love you too, Calliope." As they looked into each others eyes they both felt the shift their relationship had just taken. Their hearts sped up in anticipation.

Callie kissed Arizona again. This time it was slow and sensual. She could feel her girlfriend's nails lightly scratching over her shoulders and back, stopping at the base of her spine and making their way back up. It sent shivers through her body. Callie shifted so she was lying at Arizona's side. She delicately grazed smooth skin up an down the blonde's breasts, sides, and stomach, stopping to lightly pinch her erect pink nipples. She gently kneaded each breast and Arizona moaned into her mouth, making Callie even more wet than she already was. She moved on top of Arizona again placing her right thigh between the blonde's legs. Arizona could feel how wet the brunette was against her own leg. Moans filled the room as each woman slid themselves against the other woman's thigh. Arizona ran her hand between them and lightly stroked Callie's clit. She slowly circled once. Then again. She dipped her fingers inside slightly and pulled out to circle her clit again. The brunette growled into her mouth. "You're driving me crazy."

"I know." Arizona smiled into their kiss. "Show me what you want." She felt Callie's hand slide between them and instantly fill her. She ripped her lips off Callie's and gasped. "Fuck, Callie!"

Callie grinned down at her, "What?"

Arizona moaned as Callie pulled out slowly, then entered her as quickly as before. She pulled out slowly again and repeated. Arizona got the message and mimicked what Callie was doing. The two women quickly found the right rhythm and pace. The came to a silent agreement to go slow and steady. This was different than what they've done before. They were used to passionate, hot, steamy, raw, walk funny the next day kind of sex. Being together like this, slowly bringing each other to release at the same time was a new and amazing experience.

"I want to come with you, babe." Callie could feel Arizona getting close, but she wasn't quite there yet herself. Arizona understood and pulled out of Callie to circle her clit hard and fast, lifting her leg to add more pressure. She felt the brunette biting down on her shoulder and knew it was time to let go. Both woman moaned and trembled against each other as their orgasms rocked their bodies. Callie collapsed onto Arizona completely breathless. She could feel the blonde's heart beating as fast as hers.

"Okay, now I understand the difference between sex and making love." Callie said into Arizona's chest. She smiled as her body bounced up and down from the blonde's laughter below her. ***Ding*** The both jumped when Callie's phone went off indicating a text message. "What the hell? What time is it?"

"About midnight."

"Oh, it feels later." Callie unlocked her phone to read her message.

**Don't forget we have interviews tomorrow! I know you did, Torres. **

"Fuck, I did forget."

"What?"

"Oh it's Mark reminding me we have to interview some people tomorrow for Grey's replacement."

**I didn't forget!**

"Aww, I was hoping to spend all day with you tomorrow. In bed. Naked." Arizona pouted. ***Ding***

**Yes you did! See you at noon**

"It won't take long, I promise."

**Pick me up at Arizona's at 11:45. I don't have my car.**

"Fine. I'll just have to wait in this really big bed all by myself." ***Ding***

**Oooo are you with her now? Are you naked?**

"You'll have Sonny. Where is he anyway?"

**Are you picking me up or not?**

"I bought him a deluxe cat tree with tunnels and everything. He doesnt come out if it very often." ***Ding*** "What does he want?" Arizona snatched the phone from Callie's hand.

**Yes, I'll pick you up. So are you?**

**Mark Sloan, stop texting Calliope! We're busy!**

Callie saw the message Arizona sent. "You know you basically just made all his dirty dreams come true. He's going to picture us naked together now."

"We are naked together." ***Ding***

**Sorry, Blondie. Have fun eating your pound cake ;)**

"Pound cake? What?" Arizona said confused.

"Yeah, he's definitely picturing us having sex now."

"Ewww..." Arizona scrunched her nose in disgust.

Callie laughs and kissed Arizona's cute nose. "Sleep?"

"Yeah okay." Arizona laid down and opened her arms motioning for Callie to lay in them.

Callie sighed contentedly as she settled herself in her girlfriend's arms. "I'm sorry I freaked out earlier. Thank you for being you."

"It's okay. We can take turns freaking out and talking each other down." Arizona yawned.

"Sounds like a plan. I love you Mariposa."

"Love you too Calliope." Arizona smiled into the brunette's hair and inhaled her unique sent. She could stay like this forever.

Arizona woke up to Sonny pawing at her face. _Who needs an alarm clock, when you have a kitten?_ She turned to her side to find that Callie was missing. She sat up alarmed. In the entire time they have been dating, she has never slept later than Callie. She went to get up, but was stopped by the door being pushed opened. A freshly showered Callie came strutting in holding two cups of coffee. She was wearing Arizona's Robbins Family Bakery tshirt sans bra and a pair of boy short underwear. Arizona smiled at the sight.

"Morning, babe. I'm glad you're alive. I don't think I've ever seen you sleep so much. You were too cute to wake up though. I made us some coffee." Callie sat on the bed and kissed Arizona sweetly before handing the blonde her mug. "I need to get dressed soon. Mark's coming in like 30 minutes to get me for the interviews."

"Do you really have to go? Can't Mark just do it?"

"If I left it up to him he'd hire based on level of hotness and not experience." They heard the doorbell ring downstairs. "Crap he's early. He never does anything right. I'll get it!"

Arizona watched her jump up and run out the door. "Pants Calliope!"

"He's seen worse!" Callie yelled from downstairs. Before opening the door, she picked up Sonny so he wouldn't run out the door again. Arizona would kill her if she lost her precious baby. She threw the door open. "If you're here early to try to catch us having sex, you're-" She stopped talking when she realized it was definitely not Mark standing at the door. She looked down at what she was wearing.

_Why does this keep happening to me?_

* * *

**Nic's notes:**

I'm Ms. Cranky Pants today, so somebody needed to get punched.

Who do you guys think should take Meredith's place at Evangeline's? Should I promote George? Bring another character in? Bailey perhaps? Or Izzy? I was never an Izzy fan though. Jackson? Derek? Someone else? I'm pretty sure I know who I'm going to pick, but I can be swayed ;)

Who do you guys think is at Arizona's door this time?

This weekend I'll be pretty busy working at the cat shelter and baking for a competition. All the stuff is due Monday night, judging is on Tuesday, and winners are announced Wednesday. I won this one last year and I'm hoping to keep my winning streak! I might update again depending on how slow work is.

If my phone autocorrects clit to clot one more time, I'm going to scream.


	17. Chapter 16: We were right!

**Just a little shorty I wrote while passing the time at work. I thought about not posting it, then making it longer to post in a few days. But noooo Ms. Impatient strikes again! Y'all are spoiled. **

* * *

"Oh Daniel we were right!"

Barbara Robbins smiled gleefully at the woman in front of her who had just thrown a kitten behind her to pull down her shirt over her underwear. She had noticed that the tshirt belonged to Arizona.

"Was there any doubt?"

"She's so pretty!"

"Of course she is! Arizona has good tastes. Just like her father."

_Run, Callie, run! Move! Talk! Say something!_ Callie was completely frozen to the spot. It was obvious to her who the older couple she found on the other side of the door were. The sparking blue eyes of the very scary man matched her girlfriend's perfectly. So did the dimpled smile and blonde hair of the very excited looking woman bouncy up and down next to him. She even has Arizona's excited peppy bounce. Callie would think it was cute if the situation were different.

"Barbara, I think we're scaring her."

Barbara grabbed Callie and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Oh my! Where are my manners? I'm Barbara Robbins and this is my husband Daniel. I believe you know our daughter?"

"Um... yeah. I'm Callie. Torres. Callie Torres." Callie finally found some words. "Come in, I'll go get her. There's fresh coffee in the kitchen." She waved them in and they followed her deeper into the house. As they passed the stair case Callie stopped short. _Shit. I didn't think this could get any worse. _Arizona's hot pink bra and Callie's lacy red panties were hanging over the bannister and various other articles of clothing were spread out across the staircase. _How the hell did I not notice that earlier? _She glanced at the couple behind her praying they hadn't seen it. Judging by the amused looks they were exchanging they definitely had. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ "So, you know where they kitchens is. I'll go get Arizona." Callie took off running up the stairs making sure to hold her tshirt down to cover her butt.

Arizona jumped when Callie came bursting through the door, making her splash her coffee all over her down comforter. "Calliope! This is going to cost a fortune to get cleaned!"

"Your mother just hugged me in my underwear and your bra is hanging on the bannister!" Callie hissed.

"What are you talking about? My mother is in New York." _Did she hit her head?_

"No she's downstairs having coffee with your big scary father!"

"That's impossible, Calliope."

"What? You think I'm making this up for shits and giggles?!" They both jumped when the doorbell rang again.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Callie turned to go back downstairs to answer it.

"Calliope, pants!"

"Right!" Callie grabbed a pair of her jeans and pulled them on. "Arizona get up! You have to go talk to your parents."

Arizona frowned at her and climbed out of bed. She still had no idea what Callie was talking about. She just talked to her parents last night and they were definitely in New York. Arizona pulled on a hoodie and boxers and followed Callie towards the stairs. She ran into Callie's back when the brunette stopped suddenly at the top. "Calliope, what are you doing?" She followed Callie's gaze and sure enough, standing at the bottom of the stairs, that were covered in discarded clothes, were her parents smiling up at them. They had been joined by Mark, who was smiling like he had just struck gold.

"Arizona, honey! I hope you don't mind. We let this handsome nice young man in. He said he was a friend." Arizona's mom beamed up at her. Arizona and Callie still couldn't move or talk.

"Torres! Blondie! Did your dryer explode?" Leave it to Mark to point out the big gay elephant in the room. Barbara and Daniel chuckled. The expression on their daughter's face was priceless.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here? How did you get here? How is it possible? I just talked to you." Arizona stuttered out.

"We wanted to see you, dear. Remember?"

"I didn't think you meant right now."

"Yeah, well you know your mother. What she wants is what she gets." Daniel smiled lovingly at his wife. "We took the red eye here."

"Who is watching the bakery?"

"We left Theodora in charge."

"Teddy?! The only think she knows about a bakery is how to eat everything in it. She's a doctor, Mom! How did you even convince her to do that?"

"We said we wanted to surprise you and she jumped at the chance. It was her idea, actually."

"I'm going to kill her!" Teddy was so dead for not warning her.

"Arizona this is my house. I'm allowed to come whenever I want."

"I know Mama, a little warning next time maybe?" Arizona descended the stairs to greet her parents properly. She gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I am happy your here. I missed you guys."

"We missed you too honey." Barbara shifted her eyes to the top of the stairs and back to Arizona.

Arizona looked up to where her mother was looking and saw her terrified looking girlfriend still standing up there. "Oh! Calliope! I'm sorry!" She waved for her to come down. "Mom, dad. This is my girlfriend, Callie. Callie, these are my parents, Daniel and Barbara." Arizona smiled reassuringly at Callie, telling her it will be okay. Both the older Robbins noticed the way their daughter was acting and smiling. They couldn't remember the last time they saw her like that. They grinned at each other silently saying that they knew this Callie person was very special.

Callie stuck out her hand to Daniel, "It's nice to meet you, Sir."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Daniel wore his best serious expression. "What are your intentions with our daughter?" He laughed internally at the deer in the headlights look Callie was giving him.

"Dad! Calliope, he's just kidding."

Daniel chuckled, "I'm sorry couldn't help myself. Any woman who could make our little butterfly smile like that again is obviously okay with us."

Callie blushed, "Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Daniel."

"Thank you, Daniel." Callie smiled. She was finally starting to feel a little more comfortable. Arizona's parents seemed like wonderful people. Warm, welcoming, and open. Callie could see where her girlfriend gets it. If this happened in front of her own parents, Callie was sure her father would have her, and possibly Arizona, committed or exorcised. Probably both.

"No need to thank me. I see you found your pants." Daniel chuckled.

Callie's face fell. So much for being comfortable. Mortified was a better word for what she was feeling. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I thought you were someone else." She turned to look at Mark who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat. He found all of this to be very amusing. Callie wanted to hit him, but she didn't need the Robbins to think she was abusive on top of everything else. Callie suddenly felt like she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. "I'm sorry to have to run out when you just got here, but Mark and I need to get going. We are doing interviews today and can't really reschedule."

"Oh of course dear! We wouldn't want you to change any plans. We're just here to relax and go with the flow."

"Interviews?"

"Yeah, Dad. Calliope and Mark are business partners. They are looking to hire a new employee."

"What kind of business?" Daniel asked turning to address Callie. He loved talking business with people.

Callie wasn't sure how Arizona's parents felt about tattoos and the fact that their daughter was dating a tattoo artist. She knew the older generation didn't really see eye to eye with her most of the time. She's gotten enough dirty looks to know that for sure. "Umm..." She looked to Arizona for help. The blonde just smiled and nodded her head slightly, telling her it was okay. "Mark and I own a tattoo studio. Next door to Arizona's shop actually. It's how we met." She locked eyes with Arizona and smiled affectionately at her. Her girlfriend never failed to make her heart melt, no matter what the circumstances are. This didn't go unnoticed by other three in the room.

"That is so romantic! It's like out of a movie." Barbara went to hug both Arizona and Callie at the same time. "You girls are so cute together. My grandchildren are going to be so beautiful!"

"Oh my god, Mom! It is way too soon to even start thinking about that! You're going to scare Calliope away." Arizona looked at Callie expecting to see her wanting to run, but found her smiling back at her mom instead. "Calliope, don't you have to go?" She needed to get her out of there before her mother could say anything worse to embarrass her.

"Yeah. Mark, I'm going to go change my shirt. Meet me outside." Callie ran upstairs, leaving Arizona alone with her parents.

"So, no woman, huh? That certainly looks like a woman to me. We may be old, but we're not blind."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's just so new and I didn't want to jinx it. We've only been dating for a little over a month."

"I like her!"

"You don't even know her!"

"I know enough. I'm your mother, Arizona. Don't question me."

"Fine." The three Robbins looked up when they heard Callie coming back down the stairs. "Are you still coming back after?" Arizona asked her hopefully. She was afraid her parents might have scared Callie away for the day. _I guess this ruins my plan of staying in bed naked all day._

"Of course!" Callie leaned in to kiss Arizona, but stopped. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to kiss her girlfriend in front of her parents. Callie has never done the parent thing before. She's been experiencing a lot of firsts with Arizona.

Arizona closed the distance between then and kissed Callie lovingly. She knew that the last thing Callie wanted to do was spend time with her parents, but she would do it anyway. "Thank you." She whispered.

"It's no problem, babe. I want to get to know them. They made you, so they have to be great. Right?" Callie whispered back.

"You say that now, but wait until my mother gets talking. That woman has no filter."

Callie laughed, "Is that what I have to look forward to when you get older?"

Arizona was shocked. Callie had just implied they'd still be together at her parents age. She initially thought she would feel terrified, but the thought actually excited her. "God I hope not!"

"Okay, I should go." Callie raised her voice. "How about I bring stuff to make dinner when I come back?"

"Ooo yay!" Arizona loved when Callie cooked.

"No, you don't have to do that honey, I'm perfectly capable of cooking for us." Barbara said. "Or we could just go out."

"It's fine, Mrs. Robbins. I love to do it and you're guests."

"Callie, it's Barbara and if I have to tell you one more time, I'll bop you on the nose."

"Okay, Barbara. I'm going to go now. We're already late. Probably not the best impression as an employer." Callie kissed Arizona one more time. "I love you."

"I love you too." Arizona watched as Callie walked towards the door. She opened it, gave Arizona a wink over her shoulder, and was gone. Arizona stared at the door for a second suddenly feeling sad over the loss of her girlfriends presence in her house. She turned around to find her mom bouncing excitedly in her spot and smiling at her. Her dad was smirking at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "What?"

* * *

"Okay, Momo. Who do we got?" Callie asked as she climbed into his SUV.

"Are we really not going to talk about what just happened back there?"

"Nope." Callie found the pile of resumes they had received on Mark's dashboard and started to look through them. "Which five did we pick again?"

"Come on Cals. Meeting the parents is a huge deal! You must be freaking out right now."

"Mark, I answered the door in my underwear. You know what I said when I answered the door? I basically told them Arizona and I were having sex. Then they come in to find the evidence of said sex all over her mother's house. Of course I'm freaking out!" Mark burst out laughing. This was even better than he thought. "I'm glad you're finding so much humor in my humiliation. I don't want to talk about this right now. I want to focus in on these people."

"Okay Cal. The top five there are the ones that are coming in."

Callie pulled the top five resumes out and threw the rest in the back seat. "Miranda Bailey, Derek Shepherd, Sadie Harris, Sydney Heron, and Isobel Stevens? I don't recognize any of these names."

"George called and checked the references. They all checked out."

"Okay. I guess." Callie tried to focus on reading the words in front of her, but couldn't stop thinking about last night. She glanced at Mark and then back to the resumes. She glanced at him again and looked back down.

"What, Cal?"

"Nothing." Callie stared at the papers for five more minutes. "She told me she loved me last night." She said quietly.

Mark turned his head to look at his friend. She was still looking down at the resumes, so he couldn't see her face to gauge her reaction. "And how do we feel about that?"

"At first she said it by accident."

"And?"

"And then I asked her if she meant it, even if she didn't mean to say it."

"And?" Mark was getting impatient. They just arrived to the shop, so he stopped the car and turned to face Callie. She still wouldn't look at him. "Torres, I know those resumes are not that interesting. Look at me." He smiled at her when she looked up. Her face was expressionless. "And then what happened?"

"Then she said she did mean it. That she does love me."

"Do you love her?" The dazzling smile that was now on his best friends face told him his answer. "I'm not seeing the problem here."

"I do love her, Mark."

"But...?"

"But what if it's too soon? What if it doesn't work? What if she just said it to not hurt my feelings? I don't think I'd survive if something goes wrong this time."

"Cal, that's a lot of what ifs. Do you really think those things will actually happen? Do you think she doesn't love you?"

"I guess not and I think she does. I can feel it in my bones."

"Then you need to get out of that pretty little head of yours and just enjoy the ride. If it works out, then great. If not, then you keep on living. Don't screw it up because of a bunch of what ifs. I've seen the way you guys look at each other. I know it's going to work out. You guys were made for each other."

"Wow Momo, when did you get to be so smart?"

"I've always been smart! Are you going to stop being so irrational and let that woman love you?"

Callie sighed, "Yeah you're right. I'm an idiot."

"You're just human, Cal-Cals. Besides judging by her mother, Arizona will stay a hotty forever. Can't turn that down!"

"Ew! You're such a creep! I'm telling her you said that."

"Don't you dare!" Mark was interrupted by a loud knock on his window. Callie and him turned to find a short black woman who could barely see over the window staring back at them. Mark rolled the window down and looked at her quizzically.

"You people own this place?" She asked while pointing at Evangeline's behind her.

"We do. I'm Mark Sloan and this is Callie Torres."

The woman fixed them with a hard stare that made both of them shrink back in their seats. "You're late." She said flatly before turning and walking back to wait by the front door.

"This is going to be a long day." Callie said still watching the woman.

"Let's get this over with." Mark and Callie jumped out of his car and headed to unlock the shop.

* * *

"Honey, go get ready so you can take us to see the bakery. I've been dying to see what you've done with it."

"Okay, mom. Give me half an hour." Arizona was excited to show her parents her pride and joy. She hasn't told them yet that it was modeled after their own shop and hoped they'd be pleasantly surprised. After she took a shower and got dressed she found her parents in the same guest room Teddy used. "You guys ready to go?"

"We are! Do you still have that remote control car?"

"Yes I still have my Mini." Arizona sighed. _Why does everyone make fun of my car_?

"Then we'll take our rental. Your father is too old to shove himself into the back of that thing."

"Getting in is easy, it's the getting out part that's hard. I imagine that's what a baby feels like being birthed."

"Fine, let's go."

"Where too?" Barbara asked from the drivers seat. They decided she would drive, since she knew the town better than her husband.

"Just go downtown." They spent the short drive talking about how Alex and Lexie were doing. When Arizona saw they were close, she told her mom to pull over and park. She led her parents down the street passed Evangeline's and towards Awesome Bakery.

"Oh look there's Callie!" Barbara squealed when she spotted Callie through the window of Evangeline's. Arizona looked and saw that Callie and Mark were seated at one side of their front waiting room table and a blonde hair woman was sitting on the other.

"Must be one of their interviews." Arizona waved her arms to get Callie's attention. When she finally looked up, Callie saw the three Robbins smiling and waving at her frantically. She couldn't help but laugh at how cute their family was. She waved back, making the woman she was interviewing turn around. When her back was turned to Callie, Arizona saw Callie make a face that suggested this girl was definitely not getting the job. Arizona laughed and turned to her parents. "We should probably leave them alone." With one last wave, they headed down the sidewalk.

"Arizona Robbins! What did you do?" Barbara exclaimed when she saw the pink building next door.

"I thought you'd like it, Mom."

"Oh baby girl, I love it!"

Arizona unlocked the doors and led them inside. She flipped on the lights and watched her parents take in their surroundings. She could have sworn there were tears in their eyes. After some time went by she asked, "So, what do you think?"

"It's so beautiful!" Barbara said in awe as she ran her fingers over the paintings on the wall. Both of her children turned out to be amazing artists. She had no idea where that came from.

Arizona's dad swept her up in a bear hug. "We're so proud of you!"

Now there were tears in Arizona's eyes. "Do you think Timmy would have been?"

"We know it. He's probably up there right now looking down with that goofy grin on his face."

"I miss him Daddy."

"I know, my little butterfly. So do we."

* * *

Four long hours and five interviews later, Callie and Mark were sitting in Callie's office going through their notes and portfolios again.

"I liked Sadie Harris. She'd fit right in."

"You only like her because she's hot. She doesn't even have a portfolio? How did she make the cut?" There was no way in hell they we're going to hire that woman. She seemed too familiar to Callie and not in a good way. She couldn't quite remember how she knew her though.

"I may have looked her up on Facebook."

"Mark! No way."

"She was totally flirting with you."

"She was not!"

"She was too! She was looking at you like she's seen you naked."

Oh yeah, now Callie remembered. "She was not flirting with me." She blushed.

"She has seen you naked hasn't she? And she was too flirting. You're just too love struck to notice it."

"Shut up, Mark! Who's next on the list?" She asked while shredding up Sadie's resume into tiny pieces.

"Sydney Heron?"

"No. She had crazy eyes and was way too perky. Cristina would eat her alive."

"I agree with you on that one." Mark crossed her off the list. "Izzy Stevens?"

"No, I didn't like her."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. There was something about her that made me hate her. Like she wronged me in my previous life or something." Callie crossed her off the list. "Okay, so that leaves Bailey and Shepherd?"

"Not Bailey. She scared me."

"Yeah, but her portfolio is the best I've ever seen and she seems serious about her work. I don't think she'll take Cristina's shit either."

"Shepherd's wasn't too bad either. He seemed like he'd fit in. I think we could be friends. We need more men around here. All I have is O'Malley and Karev. Bleh."

"We're not here to make friends. We're here to be the best and Bailey is the best."

"And so is Shepherd. He came highly recommended."

"So did Bailey."

"Can we just pick one and get out of here? I have a date with Lexie and need to make myself pretty."

"Aww Momo, you're always pretty." Callie and Mark flipped through the two portfolios again. They bickered back and forth until they finally came to an agreement. "So, we've made our decision right? I can leave now?"

"Yeah, Cal. I'll have George call tomorrow to get everything set up."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Good luck tonight. It will be great."

"Yeah, yeah." Callie was not looking forward to dinner with Arizona's parents. She went to her apartment to get parent appropriate clothing and her car keys. She grabbed some spices she would need to make dinner, since all Arizona's cupboards had were baking supplies, and headed for the grocery store.

After getting the ingredients she needed for pasta with creamy sun-dried tomato sauce, garlic rolls, and some wine, she headed towards Arizona's. She stopped when she got to the door. Was she supposed to just go in or knock? She usually just went in, but it was Arizona's mom's house and she felt like the rules were different when she was visiting. Callie's decision was made for her when the door opened and she was greeted by Daniel standing in only his polo shirt and underwear. He had Sonny propped up on his shoulder like a parrot. "Hey Callie! Just thought I'd return the favor! Come on in."

_This is going to be an interesting night._

* * *

**Nic's Notes**:

Yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious that it would be Arizona's parents. Haha.

I actually really love Minis. I plan on getting one when my lease is up next year. No Mini hating here.

Thank you guys for all the luck on my competition! I'm excited about it.

Okay, now I'm off. Lots of work to do!


	18. Chapter 17: I really hate you right now

**So, I'm not sure about this one**...

**Thank you guys for all the reviews! They let me know I'm doing something right. I spoil you, you spoil me. It a win-win.**

* * *

"Arizona."

Arizona was sitting on her bed reading and trying to avoid Callie. Since she just walked in and was now standing in front of her, it was becoming pretty hard.

"Arizona!"

"Oh, hi Calliope!" Arizona looked up with her best smile. Maybe she could charm her way out of this one.

"Don't you 'hi Calliope' me!"

"I'm so sorry! Once he gets an idea in his head, there is no stopping him. I tried! I really did."

"Don't you think you could have warned me at least?"

"I didn't think about that. I was too busy being scarred for life." Arizona had been hiding in her room for the past hour because her father was roaming around the house in his underwear waiting for Callie to come over. She would be trying to erase that image from her mind for the rest of her life.

"Girls! Get down here! It's getting late and us old folk like to eat early!" Barbara called from downstairs.

"I don't think I can go down there."

"It will be fine. I have to warn you though. My dad will probably never you live that down. It's going to become a big family joke and everyone is going to know about it."

"Everyone, huh?" Even though she was humiliated, Callie liked the idea of Arizona's family feeling comfortable enough about their relationship to make her the butt of a joke.

"Yeah! They probably already do." Arizona stuck her bottom lip out, "Are you still mad at me?"

"I was never mad at you." Callie kissed Arizona's protruding lip. "Your father is kind of insane, you know that?"

"Try growing up with him! He once picked me up from a slumber party wearing his robe. I was thirteen! I was mortifying. You're lucky I turned out so normal."

"Normal? I don't know about that." Callie winked and went for another kiss.

"Girls! It's safe to come down! Everyone has pants on!"

Arizona sighed, "I guess we better get this over with." She pecked Callie's lips and took her hand to lead her downstairs. They found her parents sitting in the living room laughing at the news.

"Callie! I am sorry I embarrassed you. I was just having fun." Daniel felt bad after she had entered the house and bolted straight up the stairs.

"It's okay. I'm not too embarrassed. Just a little shocked."

"Good! If you're going to be a part of this family, you need to know how to take a joke."

"Family?" Callie mouthed silently to Arizona. Arizona just shrugged and smiled. "I'm just going to get dinner started."

"I'll help you!" Arizona jumped up.

"Honey, unless some miracle happened since you left New York, I don't think you should. I would like a decent meal that isn't burned."

"Mom!"

"Babe, she's right. I'm okay without help. It will be much quicker." Callie had tried to teach Arizona to cook, but it was a disaster. She had no idea how the blonde could pull off the most amazing cake she's ever had, but still manage to ruin a pot of pasta. "How about you be in charge of dessert?"

"Fine." Arizona sat down on the couch and pouted. She didn't think she was that bad. Burn something a couple of dozen times and no one trusts you ever again.

"How about I help you. Arizona got her father's skills in the kitchen. I'm pretty decent."

"Uh... sure! I'd love that." Callie wasn't sure how she felt about being alone with Arizona's mother.

"No, Mom, no! Callie likes to cook alone. She's just being nice." Arizona lied. She definitely did not want her mother alone with her girlfriend.

"Nonsense! Come on Callie. Let's let these two talk shop alone." Barbara headed for the kitchen before anyone could say anything else. Callie quickly followed.

Daniel watched his daughter stand up to head towards the kitchen too. "Leave them alone. I think Callie can handle herself."

"Dad, you know how mom gets. I can't leave Callie alone with her."

"She'll be fine. You're mother doesn't need a babysitter."

"I beg to differ." Arizona mumbled to herself and sat back down. She knew she wouldn't win.

"So, Callie! What can I do?"

"How do you feel about shredding cheese?"

"I'm an excellent cheese shredder." Barbara grabbed the mozzarella and shredder. "It's a good thing you cook or our butterfly would probably starve to death."

Callie smiled, "Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly." She paused. "Why do you guys call her butterfly? I mean, it fits her, but there must be a story behind it."

"When she was six she decided she needed to learn how to fly. Timmy convinced her that she would be able to if she jumped off the roof of her playhouse and flapped her arms as fast as she could. Arizona loved her big brother more than anything and trusted him completely." Barbara stopped mid shred and smiled sadly. "I don't know why, he was always getting her into trouble. I was standing in the kitchen watching them play through the window. I turned around for a second and when I turned back, I saw that Arizona had somehow managed to climb onto the roof. Before I could make it outside to stop her, she leaped off. She used to be so fearless. I used to wish she wasn't, but seeing her these past fear years jumping at her own shadow and not taking any risks, made me change my mind." She started to shred the cheese again. Callie noticed the far off look in her eyes as if she was reliving that day. "Anywoo, poor girl ended up breaking her little arm. Timmy felt so bad he hurt his baby sister. She didn't cry though, she was so brave. Daniel was livid when he met us at the hospital. He told Arizona she was a little girl and not a bird and to never ever do that again. She put her hands on her hips, new pink cast and everything." Barbara stood up and put her arms on her hip and stomped her foot. "She said 'Daddy! Birds are ugly! I'm a beautiful butterfly!'" Barbara chuckled. "She was so mad Daniel called her a bird, she didn't talk to him for a whole three hours. She's a daddy's girl and at that age, it was basically an eternity. I think it was killing Daniel more that she was mad at him. He ended up apologizing to her and telling her that of course she was a beautiful butterfly. It kind of stuck since then." She finished off the cheese and handed the bowl to Callie. "Okay, what next?"

Callie just stared at her. She loved hearing about these little pieces of Arizona's life. She suddenly wasn't nervous about being alone with her mom anymore. She knew this was the key to learning things about her girlfriend she'd probably never get to know. "How about putting the salad together?"

"You got it!" Barbara jumped up and started to gather salad supplies. Callie watched as she moved around the kitchen. Arizona and her mom had similar mannerisms and Callie thought about the night before when she watched her girlfriend moving around the kitchen in very much the same way. Except that ended up in a big fight and then declarations of love. Callie couldn't help but smile as she continued to watch Barbara. "Callie, dear, you're staring."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"I know. I can hear the wheels turning in your head from here. Care to share?"

"I was just thinking about Arizona."

"You know when we lost our Timmy, we also lost our daughter. We had for a long time. She was distant, would never come to see or call us, she wouldn't come to work. None of her friends could get through to her. We begged her to get help, but she refused. That girl is as stubborn as her father. She couldn't stop blaming herself for what happened. She thought we blamed her too, which was absolutely not true. A mother should never have to bury her child. If Daniel and I didn't have each other, I don't know what we would have done. One day Arizona called us out of the blue to say she's been getting help for the past 6 months and that her therapist said she should contact us and try to come back to work. I don't know what changed, but I didn't ask any questions. She came back the next day and she acted fine. I could tell that she was only pretending. A mother knows her daughter." Barbara paused to gather her thoughts. The whole time she had been talking, she was staring intently at the salad bowl. She smiled and sighed, "It was wonderful having her back in our lives though. She had her good and her bad days. Then a year passed, then two more. Our baby never fully came back. It was heartbreaking. She was so unhappy in New York. That's when she decided she needed to leave. Daniel and I supported her 100% and helped her in any way we could. When she was focused on her goals and dreams, we could see a glimpse of the old Arizona. But at other times she was the ghost of her former self." Barbara added some dressing to the salad and finally looked up at Callie, who was looking back at her with her big soulful brown eyes. Barbara could tell why her daughter liked this woman so much. "The whole point of this story is that when Arizona called us last night, it was the old Arizona. We were shocked. Of course we talked a lot over the months when she moved out here, but she was still pretty lost. But last night was different, even though she denied it. We could hear it in her voice. That's why I just had to come out here. I needed to see what made my little girl come back. I have no doubt in my mind that is was you, Callie." Tears filled both women's eyes. "I know my daughter, Callie. It couldn't have been easy. She'll make it hard for you still. I just hope you won't give up on her"

Callie shook her head, "Never."

"Okay, enough of this serious talk. Do you want to hear some embarrassing stories about our girl?"

"Any good blackmail stories?"

"I'm sure I can think of some." Barbara laughed.

"Dad, it's way too quiet in there. What if mom scared Callie away and she snuck out the back door?"

"Honey, for the millionth time, she's fine." Daniel and Arizona both looked towards the kitchen when Callie's loud melodious laughter broke out. "See, she's having fun."

"No, that means mom is probably telling embarrassing stories about me! I'm going in there." She jumped up and ran to the kitchen before her father could stop her. She found her mother and her girlfriend sitting at the breakfast bar laughing hysterically. "What's going on?"

"Arizona, honey! Callie and I were just waiting for the rolls to be done and then dinner will be ready. Can you go get your father?"

"What were you talking about?"

"We were just swapping cooking stories. You were always such a nosey kid." Barbara winked at Callie.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I don't know. Why don't you?"

"Mom!"

"What?!"

"Tell me!"

"Arizona don't be a brat. Go get your father like I already asked you to do." Barbars said sternly. Her daughter may be 27 years old, but she always obeyed the mama voice.

"Fine!" She huffed and left the kitchen.

Callie just laughed. Arizona was so cute when she was acting like a child. The timer on the oven went off and she went to pull the rolls out. "Mmm, perfect!" Barbara helped her move all the food to the table where Arizona and Daniel met them.

After everyone was served, they sat silently eating for the first five minutes. They didn't realize how hungry they had gotten and the food was beyond delicious. "Barb, I love you more than anything and I know that you are my wife, but I think Callie has got you beat in the food department."

"Hey, I helped! I grated the cheese." Barbara took another big bite. "Okay, fine. You are right. Callie where did you learn to cook like this? Everything is delicious!"

Callie blushed, "I was kind of a weird kid and didn't really have a lot of friends. I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with our chef. He taught me everything."

The Robbins stopped mid chew and stared at her wide eyed. "You had a chef?" Daniel asked.

"Well technically he was my parents chef." Callie looked down at her hands embarrassed. She hoped they wouldn't question her more about her family.

"Are you close to your parents? Maybe we can meet them this trip?" Barbara asked excitedly.

"Mom, no." Arizona gave her mom a look that told her to not dare question her. Barbara understood immediately. Arizona turned to Callie and took her hand. "You don't have to talk about them, okay?" She whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"No, no it's fine." Callie took a deep breath. "My parents and I don't exactly get along. They don't talk to me that often. Mostly never, actually." Callie stabbed the food on her plate with her fork. Thinking about her parents either made her sad or angry. She was leaning towards angry this time.

"Why not? It seems to me they raised a wonderful young lady. How could they not want you in their life?" Daniel asked. He couldn't imaging never talking to his children, especially now that he's lost the chance with his son. He watched Callie mutilate her dinner. "If you're just going to kill you food, give it here. I'll eat it. It's too good to waste."

"Dad..." Arizona warned. He obviously didn't understand her death glare from her earlier.

"What? It's just a question."

"Babe, it's fine. Let's just say a lesbian tattoo artist doesn't exactly fit into their ideal way of life."

Barbara and Daniel were shocked. They couldn't even comprehend letting their kids out of their life just because of who they are. Arizona had told them earlier that Callie had lost a sister, which made their treatment of Callie seem so much worse. They had no idea what to say.

"I'm sorry I killed the mood."

"Nonsense, Callie. You're fine. It was my husband's big mouth. Let's talk about something else." Barbara smiled. "I know you girls met at work. How did it happen? Who asked who out?"

Callie snorted and Arizona laughed. They looked at each other trying to figure out who was going to start and where. "Well I found Callie spying on me from the back door of the shop."

"I was not spying!"

"Yes, you were!"

"Then Arizona fell on her a- butt and I had to go in and save her."

"Pffft, whatever. After she came in she asked me to go out with her and her friends. I didn't know if it was a date thing or a friend thing. I didn't even know if she liked women at the time. All I knew was that I needed to spend any time I could with her."

"Same here..." They exchanged loving smiles.

"We went out, danced, had some fun."

"You saw her dance and still pursued her?" Daniel joked.

Arizona ignored him. "It did turn out that we were both interested in each other."

"We ended up going back to my apartment with all our friends. It was a good night."

"Then we ended up waking up together."

"That's my girl!"

"Dad! Nothing happened. We just slept."

"Why not? Callie is very beautiful."

"We didn't want to rush anything." Callie said. The truth was they probably would have done something if they weren't completely drunk and too tired to move. Her parents didn't need to know that part.

"Anyways, Callie saw my butterflies and we talked about Timmy." Arizona knew her parents would understand the significance of that. "She then asked me out on a real date. It ended up being the best date ever."

"Which you ruined by running." Callie laughed. It was funny now. Not-so much at the time.

"Arizona! How could you?" Barbara gasped. Her daughter knew how to ruin anything.

"Mom, I obviously fixed it or we wouldn't be here right now." She smiled at Callie. "And the rest is history." Her parents didn't know about all the other parts. The back and forth they did, the way she tried to push Callie away, the amazing sex, Callie's breakdown last night, the fighting, her nightmares... all of it didn't matter right now.

"Awww, that's so sweet! Aren't they sweet, Daniel?" Barbara had happy tears in her eyes. Her husband and daughter rolled their eyes at her. "Why don't you girls let Daniel and I clean up this mess. You go rest."

"No, Barbara, we can do it."

"Callie, you do as I say."

"Yes ma'am." Callie was learning quickly not to question Arizona's mother.

"So... that wasn't so bad." Callie said as Arizona and her walked to the living room.

"No, it really wasn't. We got lucky." Arizona kissed Callie's lips. "Thank you for being so understanding. I know this wasn't exactly how or when you wanted to meet my parents."

"Mariposa, it's fine. I like them. I wish my parents were as cool with this as them." Callie smiled sadly.

"They'll come around."

"You don't know them like I do. That will not be happening."

"We'll see about that." Arizona sat down next to Callie on the couch. She rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Callie wrapped her arm around her and started to rub her head. They closed their eyes and enjoyed each others company until they were interrupted by a flash.

"Seriously, Mom?"

"What? You two were being cute. I wanted a picture. Blame your father. He bought this thing for me." Barbara snapped another picture. "Come on. Smile girls!" When they finally smiled at her, she took another picture. "Perfect!" She bounced off to go back to the kitchen where she left her husband loading the dishwasher.

"What just happened?" Callie asked. Arizona just shook her head at her.

The rest of their evening was spent quietly in front of a movie. After the older Robbins headed to bed, Callie and Arizona decided they should too, since Arizona had an early morning. "My parents will be coming to work with me tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about being stuck here by yourself with them."

"I wasn't worried." Callie pulled off her shirt to change. Warm arms wrapped around her waist and soft lips started to move across her bare back. "Arizona, stop. You're going to make me horny and there is no way we're having sex with your parents here."

"Why not? You just have to be quiet. Pleeease?" Arizona pouted. "I really want you right now. What you did for me today was really sexy."

"Talking to your parents is sexy?"

"No! You know what I mean." She started to kiss towards Callie's neck. She was going to go in for the kill. There would be no way Callie would turn her down. "Come on, baby. Just lie on your stomach and use the pillow to keep quiet."

"Arizona... don't." She knew what the blonde was doing. She couldn't bring herself to stop it. "I'll sleep on the couch if you don't stop."

"That's an empty threat and you know it." Arizona bit down on Callie's special spot, causing the Latina to moan loudly. "Calliope, be quiet!"

"It's your fault!"

Arizona lightly licked where she bit. Callie fell onto the bed on her hands and knees and moaned again.

"We can hear yooooou!" Came Barbara's singsong voice from down the hall, causing Daniel to burst out in a deep belly laugh that echoed loudly down the hallway.

"I really hate you right now." Callie growled.

"I really hate me too."

* * *

"They are driving me crazy!" Arizona yelled as she entered through Evangeline's back door. Something she never usually does, but she had to sneak out her own back door to get away from her parents. She looked around and noticed nobody was in the back and stomped her way to the front. "They are driving me crazy!"

Callie looked up from the tattoo she was doing. "What have I told you about barging in here unannounced? You can come anytime you want, but you can't be yelling. Scaring me while I'm putting permanent ink on someone is not a good plan." She patted her now scared looking client on the back. "Don't worry, you're good."

"I'm sorry! It's my parents! They think they're in charge over there. Lexie and Alex are used to them, but poor Meredith and April don't know how to react. I can't handle it today. Can I stay here?"

"You can do whatever you want, babe. Grab that chair and come sit by me."

Arizona grabbed the chair from the empty piercers station. "When does Mer's replacement start?"

"Should be here pretty soon, actually." Callie stretched her neck out and pursed her lips. Arizona leaned down to kiss them. "Hi, by the way."

"Hey." Arizona smiled. She leaned in to whisper in Callie's ear. "Have I ever told you how hot you look doing that?"

Callie paused her work and looked up. "Don't distracted me!" Her client looked at her funny again. "You're still good dude."

Arizona sat in her chair and swung her legs. She never was very good at sitting still and being quiet. "I used to sit and watch my brother do this." That caught the attention of both Mark and Cristina who were also working on their clients. They exchanged questioning glances, wondering why they didn't know that her brother did tattoos or the fact that she even has a brother. They both shrugged and continued to listen.

"Oh yeah?" Callie asked curiously, not looking up from her work. Arizona rarely brought up her brother on her own, especially if it had to do with tattooing. Any insight that she could get into the amazing artist that was Tim Robbins, was gold to Callie. She hoped Arizona would continued.

"Yeah. He was always so serious when he worked." Arizona made a face to imitate the way her brother would focus intently on what he was doing. "It was so weird to me, because he was always just a big goofball."

Callie smiled, "Kind of like you?"

"I am not a goofball! I'm just me. Anyway, he got so popular and he would never turn anyone down. He was busy all of the time, so Teds and I would spend hours and hours in the shop he worked at. It drove Lizzy crazy. She hated it there. Most of the time I would stay just to avoid going home to her."

"Do you realize how amazing your brother was? I mean we knew about him all the way out here. I would have loved to see him work." Callie said softly. She wasn't sure how much was safe to say about the topic.

"Of course I know how amazing Tim was, Calliope! I witnessed it everyday." Arizona was irritated by the question. Not because Callie asked, but because she wasn't blind. Of course she knew that.

Mark and Cristina's eyes went wide with realization. The keywords 'was', 'Tim', and 'amazing' mixed with the blonde's last name made all the pieces come together quickly. Just like Callie, they too knew the brutal story of what happened to the young artist.

Arizona noticed the sudden halt of the tattoo guns around her and turned around to find Mark and Cristina gaping at her. She sighed when she realized what they had just learned. "What?" She snapped.

"You're..." Mark started. He didn't know how to continue.

"I'm what?" Arizona crossed her arms and glared at him. It didn't matter if they knew, she just wasn't ready for all the questions that usually came up.

"You're Tim Robbins sister?" Cristina asked. She felt dumb for not figuring it out before, not that she really could have.

"Yeah, so?" Arizona challenged. She knew she was being difficult once again, but her had parents made her cranky.

"Wow... he..." Mark was floored. He had no idea what to say to Tim Robbins sister. Tim had been a few of years older than him and Mark had met him at a tattoo convention about 7 years ago. He really looked up to the guy. "I met him once awhile ago."

Arizona smiled, "You met my brother?" She couldn't believe the odds, but then again the best of the best usually come together at some point.

"Yeah, he was a great guy."

"I know."

Mark shook his head and smiled. He still couldn't believe it. How was it possible she ended up here in his shop out of all the places in the world. Why hadn't Callie told him? He thought about how he died and understood why it wouldn't come up in conversation. He glanced one more time at Arizona and got back to work. Cristina soon followed. She really didn't have anything to say either.

"You know, I still have his machine and sketchbooks. There are a ton of them. He saved everything." That got all three artists to stop again and look up at her. "I can bring them in for you guys." She didn't get any response other than blank stares. "You know... if you want."

"Arizona, are you kidding me? Of course we want to see them. Are you okay with that?" Callie asked.

"Of course! I'd love to share his work with people who would appreciate it." Arizona thought it was finally time to dig those boxes out of the attic. She hasn't looked at them since Teddy gave them to her five years ago. She had moved them out to California with her in case she would ever feel ready. With Callie by her side, she could do anything. "How about you guys come to my house tomorrow night? My parents are going to be leaving in the morning, so it will be perfect."

"Definitely!" "I'm in!" "Yeah, sure whatever." Came the replies.

Arizona silently sat and watched Callie for another hour. No one had come looking for her yet and the break was nice. Watching Callie and watching her brother were two completely different experiences. Callie was just as focused as Tim, but you could see the passion she had for the art written all over her face. It was turning Arizona on a little bit, which was pretty inappropriate at the moment. Arizona had learned a few things from hanging around her brother's shop, so she knew natural talent when she saw it. "Calliope, you know you're just as amazing as Tim was." And that was the truth.

Callie stopped and looked into her girlfriends sparkling eyes. She could see that Arizona truly believed that. Callie did not, however. She did take it as one of the best compliments she could ever receive. "Thanks, babe."

"Calliope, it's true. You'll see."

"Okay..." Callie continued to work. She was almost done and then their new piercer should be here.

"Arizona Robbins, where have you been?!"

"Shit. Busted." Arizona said as she watched her mother storm right past George who was sitting at the front counter and up to Callie's work station. "Mom, you can't come back here."

"Says who?"

"Calliope."

"I didn't hear her say anything."

Callie looked up to see both the Robbins women looking at her expectantly with identical looks not heir faces. "Umm..."

"Oh, Callie dear, that looks wonderful!" Barbara bent down to get a closer look at the person's chest that Callie was tattooing. "Are those bats? What does your mother think of that, young man?"

"She doesn't know." Callie's client stuttered out. Callie made a mental note to give this guy a discount. He's been through enough today.

"Well, you better call her!"

"Yes ma'am. Callie, are you almost done?"

"I am done, actually. George! Come wrap this up please." She took off her gloves and stood up. "Are you two going to hang around here?"

"I'd love too! Mark, honey, can I come watch?"

"Sure, Mrs. Blondie. Come on over."

"Yay!" Barbara grabbed Arizona's now vacant chair and practically skipped over to Mark's station.

"I wasn't being serious." Callie whispered to Arizona.

"Well, that's what you get. Can we go hide in your office now?" Arizona wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend.

Callie laughed, "Sure, but not for too long."

Before they could leave, Lexie came running through the door. "Arizona! Your dad sent me over here to find out where you guys went."

"I'm right here and mom is over there watching Mark. Good luck getting her to leave." She grabbed Callie's hand and slammed the door to her office.

Lexie walked over to Mark who gave her a sexy smile over Barbara's shoulder. "Hey, Lex!" Barbara noticed their faces and smiled knowingly. She liked Mark and he would be good for Lexie.

"Cupcake Girl! Come over here and I'll show you how a real artist works."

"Umm... okay." Lexie was a little scared of Cristina, so she did what she said.

Five minutes passed before Daniel came storming in. "What in gods name is this place? A black hole for bakers?"

"Oh honey, come here! Mark is drawing a pretty pin up girl on this nice girl's arm." Barbara said gleefully. She always wondered what this was like, but her son would never invite them to his shop.

"Ooooh very nice. Barb, you should get one of these."

"Absolutely not. I'm too old. She'd get all wrinkly."

"Yeah, your right..." Daniel winced when his wife playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'm just kidding, honey. You will always be beautiful." He adjusted his glasses and leaned in closer to get a better look at the girl's arm.

Callie and Arizona emerged from the office fifteen minutes later to find Lexie sitting at Cristina's station, both of Arizona's parents leaning very closely over Mark and his client, and Alex was just walking in with Meredith. The shop was getting very crowded. "Mom! Dad! What are you doing? And did you all leave April alone?"

"Arizona! Did you see how they do this? It's like magic."

"Yes, Mom, I've seen it done a hundred times." Arizona rolled her eyes. "Okay everyone needs to leave these guys alone to work and go back to their own work."

"No, we're staying until Mark is finished. It's your business, you go run it."

"Now it's my business to run? You two have been in there all morning bossing everyone around."

"Arizona, shush, Mark needs to concentrate."

"Mom! Leave!"

"Don't you talk to me like that young lady!"

"Excuse me!" Came a loud voice from the door. Between all the people and commotion, no one noticed that another person had entered the shop. "And what is going on here?"

"Nothing." Everyone chorused.

"Nothing? I know damn well this isn't nothing. You!" The person pointed at Lexie. "Unless you plan on frosting that woman's back side, I suggest you stop staring at it and get out. And you two, you're old enough to know better. Leave that poor girl alone and let her get her tattoo in peace. Sloan! How did you even let that happen. Unprofessional!" The person turned towards Alex and Meredith. "What are you too fools looking at? Either this shop has the worst uniform or you don't belong in here either." Nobody moved as they stared at the stranger. "I said go!" Everyone jumped up and returned to where they belonged in record time, leaving Mark and Cristina at their workstations and Callie and Arizona gaping from the middle of the room.

"Do you guys know this person?" Arizona asked quietly.

"Yeah, that's our new employee."

"Yikes."

"Yeah..."

"So, I'm going to go."

"Probably a good idea." Callie watched Arizona leave, before turning to their new piercer. "Welcome! Sorry you had to see that. It's not usually like this here." The woman just scowled at her and marched over to her new workstation mumbling something about unprofessional whiny babies. "So, we were wandering if you wanted to go get drinks with us tonight to celebrate your new job?"

"No."

"Okay? How about another night?"

"No. We don't do this. We are not friends. We do not sit around and gossip about boys while getting drunk for no reason. I am here to do a job. Then I go home and do my own thing. Got it?"

"Yeah, okay." Callie looked over at Mark, Cristina, and George and shrugged.

"Don't you people work around here or do we stand around braiding each others hair? Either way, you're going to be paying me."

_Miranda Bailey has officially entered the building._

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

Man, I am one pooped out puppy. I find out the results of my hard work tomorrow. Hopefully it's good news. I'm trying to get my name out there.

I came up with either the best or worst idea for my next story today. Stay tuned.

I grew up doing a lot of journal writing. Mostly details of my life at the time. I never did the fiction thing. Apparently that has helped me out here. I didn't realize that until now.

Ciao!


	19. Chapter 18: Yeah, I didn't think so

"Babe!?" Callie called out as she entered Arizona's house. Usually she was greeted at the door by an overexcited blonde and a adorable kitten when she came over. Callie searched the bottom floor and found no sign of either of them. "Arizona?!" She called upstairs. No answer. "Sonny?!" She didnt really expect an answer from that one. Callie was starting to get worried. Arizona had said she would be home and her car was in the driveway. She didn't think to check for her bike and scooter in the garage. Callie decided to check upstairs before going back outside. "Ariiizoooona!" She yelled out again as she climbed the stairs. When she got to the top she saw that the ladder to the attic was pulled down and a few boxes were sitting in the hallway. Sonny was sitting on one of the boxes mewing while looking up. _Fuck, I hate attics._ Callie grabbed Sonny and stood at the bottom of the ladder. She called Arizona's name again, hoping she wouldn't have to go up there. After not receiving an answer, she put Sonny down and started to slowly climb up. "The things I do for that woman!" Callie mumbled to herself as she climbed. She completely forgot about her attic hatred the instant she reached the top and saw her girlfriend crying in the middle of about twenty boxes. "Baby, what's wrong?" Callie rushed to climb over the mess of boxes, slipping on a few scattered papers along the way. When she reached Arizona she wrapped her arms around her shaking form.

Arizona didn't even notice Callie was there until she felt those familiar arms around her. She curled herself into Callie and let her tears stop. Earlier she had decided she would start bringing down her brother's boxes. That was over three hours ago. At first, it was going well. She had opened one box to find older sketches of their childhood garden. Those had made her smile at the memory. Her brother and her worked hard together to grow things, but it never worked. One morning they woke up to find their garden full and overgrown. They had been so excited they finally did it. When she was older she figured out that it must have been her parents who planted those plants in the middle of the night. She had started to pull other stuff out of other boxes. Some stuff she recognized, but most was new to her. When she went to look in another box, she found newer drawings, including the one Tim had designed for her back. She's been sitting on the floor looking at it ever since.

Callie felt Arizona calming down and sat back to look at her face. She noticed the large piece of paper that Arizona was looking at and tried to pull it out of her hand, but the blonde held onto it tightly. "Mariposa, what are you doing up here all alone?"

"I was going to bring these down for you guys." She gestured around her. "But then I found this." She nodded down at the drawing.

"What is it?"

Arizona hesitated for a moment before handing it to Callie. Callie recognized what it was immediately. She ran her eyes over it slowly, taking in all the detail that was missing from Arizona's tattoo. She didn't realize how much work actually still had to be done. It was amazing. There were no words. Callie started to look around them more. She had been so focused on Arizona, she didnt notice that there were sketchbooks, paintings, loose drawings and large canvasses spread out all over the attic floor. "Oh, baby, what did you do?"

"I just looked in one box and then that led to another and another. I don't really know what happened."

Callie kissed her temple and rubbed her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just got overwhelmed." She looked at Callie and noticed the worry in her expressive brown eyes. "I promise, Calliope. I'm okay."

"Okay. Let's get these back in their boxes and bring then downstairs. This place is creeping me out."

Arizona smiled teasingly, "Are you afraid of the ghosts in the attic?"

"No! I don't like the spiders and mice and little creepy things watching me from dark corners."

"Don't worry, baby. I'll protect you." Arizona stood up and put her hand out to help Callie up. She kissed her lightly on the lips. "Those spiders won't eat you."

"What are you going to do? Punch them in the face?"

"Maybe. Worked on that snake, Erica." Arizona blew the hair out of her face and looked around. She really did make a mess. "I guess we should get moving. The guys should be here soon."

Callie nodded and started gently packing things back into boxes. She was happy they were finally doing this. After Arizona's parents left a over week ago, the blonde kept postponing their little get together. It had been a busy week. Both women had their new employees to train to their standards. It's been rough at Evangeline's, since the new piercer was already set in her ways and didn't really listen to anything Callie said. The week was finally over and they planned on spending the evening with good friends, art, pizza, and beer.

"Cal?! Blondie?! You guys here?"

"Mark! We're up here! Come help us!"

A minute later Mark poked his head into the attic. "Hey ladies. What do you need?"

"Here, take these." Callie handed him the heaviest of the boxes. "Where do you want them, babe?"

"Let's put them all in the dining room, so we can use the table." Arizona said as she pushed more boxes towards the attic opening. The trio spent the next half hour moving boxes from the attic to the bottom floor.

"Ugh, my legs are burning." Arizona whined as she plopped down on her couch. When the doorbell rang, she growled. She didn't want to get back up.

"Stay, I'll get it." Callie said standing up.

"Got your pants on, Cals?" Mark joked.

"Oh. Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"That will never not be funny." Arizona laughed.

"I know." Mark agreed.

Callie opened the door to find her roommate. "Hey, Cris. Did you wait outside to make sure you got out of doing all the hard work?"

"So what if I did?" Cristina entered the house and looked around curiously. She's never been here before and was surprised to find it was pretty normal looking. "Nice digs, Roller Girl." She said when she found Arizona and Mark in the living room. She grabbed a beer out of the six pack she was holding and passed the rest around before sitting on the floor.

"Thanks Cristina."

"Yeah, yeah. Where's the food?"

"Lexis is bringing it. I hope you guys don't mind that I invited her." Arizona said.

"Depends on what Cupcake Girl is bringing."

"Southridge Pizza."

"Yeah, she can come."

"This is my house, Cristina."

"Yeah. And?"

"Nevermind."

Mark jumped up when the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it!"

"A little eager to see Lexie, Momo?" Callie smiled. She loved what the quiet doe-eyed brunette was doing to her best friend.

"Don't call me that in front of other people, Cal-Cals!" Mark left to answer the door.

"Too late!" Callie yelled after him.

An hour and two pizzas later, the group decided to move into the dining room. Arizona didn't know how she was going to react to other people going through her boxes. Callie grabbed the first one and looked at her girlfriend to make sure she had the go ahead to open it. Arizona gave her a small smile and a slight nod. Callie pulled open the flaps and found it full of old moleskin sketchbooks. They looked like they were probably from when Tim was younger. She pulled one off the top and opened it. She ran her fingers over the writing on the first page. _Property of Timothy Daniel Robbins. Arizona Robbins, you better not be reading this!_ Callie laughed and turned the page. _I mean it Arizona! I'll tell Mom and Dad that it was you who scratched the paint on Mom's car! _She turned the page again. _The Incredible Adventures and Unfortunate Misadventures of Timmy and Zona! Volume 4. _Callie gasped when she realized it was a comic book. She pulled out the next book and saw it was also a comic book. This box was full of them. "Arizona, have you seen these? They're comic books." She asked as she handed her girlfriend a stack of the books. Questioning blue eyes locked with brown for a minute, before Arizona took the books from Callie's hands.

"No, I didn't know he made comic books." Arizona said softly. She slowly opened the first one and smiled at the warning on the front. "Sorry, Timmy. You're not here to get mad at me." She said out loud, causing Mark, Lexie, and Cristina to exchange confused glances. When she turned the page and saw the second warning she laughed out loud. Her brother knew her well. Arizona hesitantly turned the page again, reading her brother's small perfect script and admiring his drawings. She read four pages before realizing that this was stuff they actually did as kids. Arizona continued to read about the time when they decided it would be a good idea to sit in their Radio flyer red wagon and pretend it was a spaceship. They had hurled themselves down the hill, but forgot that the wagon had no safe way to stop them. They aborted their secret space mission by throwing their bodies out of it when it hit full speed, landing in a bruised up heap on the grass. The wagon ended up going into traffic at the bottom of the hill and getting demolished by a large truck. The driver of the truck had stormed up the hill looking for the owners of the wagon. In this comic the driver was the supervillian and he ended up being defeated by Super Timmy and his sidekick little sister, Zona. Arizona looked through the pile of books Callie gave her. _Volume 6, volume 8, volume 14, volume 3..._ She started to dig through the box, not finding what she was looking for. "Where's volume one?!" She yelled. "I need volume one!" Arizona looked up at her friends. "Find it!" It had to be here.

Callie, Mark, Cristina, and Lexie started to frantically rip open the remainder of the boxes, looking for similar books. "Here's some more!" Lexie yelled.

"I found some too." Cristina said handing the box to Callie.

Callie dumped out the books onto the table and searched through them while Arizona dug through the box Lexie found. "Here it is! Volume two too." Arizona snatched them out of her hand and ran into the living room. Callie looked at her friends bewildered expressions. "I'm going to go take care of that. You guys stay here. Don't touch anything!" Callie approached the living room with caution. She had no idea what state of mind she would find Arizona in. As she got closer she heard her girlfriend's enchanting laugh and she stopped to watch her beautiful smiling face.

"Calliope!" Arizona could feel her presence in the room. "Do you know what these are?"

"Comics?"

"No! Well, yes, but these are my childhood! Timmy documented everything we did, but with a twist. I had no idea he was doing this." Arizona's bright blue eyes filled up with tears. Callie rushed over to comfort her. "These are happy tears, Cal. I think this is the greatest gift I could ever ask for." She smiled at Callie. "Look! The first one starts when Timmy was 8 and I was 6. The first story in it is about the time I broke my arm jumping off of my playhouse."

"Your mom told me about that, Mariposa."

Arizona smiled brightly, "She did?"

Callie nodded and grabbed the book to look over the story. This version was very different from Barbara's version. In Tim's version they were superheroes trying to find a way to escape the evil Barbo who was threatening to steal all the neighborhood dogs. It ended when Zona was able to morph herself into a butterfly, sneak into the villains secret lair, and disarm the Dog Napper 2000. She was awarded a pink arm of steal for her bravery and for being injured in the line of duty. The drawings were pretty good for an 8 year old, but she could see the progress he had made in the fourth volume she looked at earlier. She couldn't imagine what the later volumes were like. "Wow, you and your brother were strange kids."

"Hey! My parents spent a lot of time in the bakery. We had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Did you and your sisters never have any fun?"

"Not really. We weren't close like you guys. I was always much closer to Evangeline. Aria used to be such an entitled bitch. Alexa has changed her though. Thank god. My parents would never allow Eva to leave the house, because she was always so sick. I would mostly read her stories and draw her whatever she requested. She loved my art, but my parents hated it. They preferred that I spend time with my tutors and study. I hadn't even hit my teens yet and they were pushing college on me. When she died, I stopped doing art for awhile. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Eva was the only one who appreciated it."

"I'm sorry, baby." Arizona leaned over to kiss Callie's cheek. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

"It's okay. I can't not talk about it. It feels good to. I started painting again a few of years later."

"What made you start again?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I woke up one morning and felt like I just had to paint."

"What did you paint?"

Callie pointed at the her tattoo on her forearm. "Her."

"You painted that picture in your shop when you were only 14?"

"Fifteen, actually."

"Wow, Calliope. You really are amazing."

Callie blushed. "Let's go find the last one of these and see where he stopped."

"Okay!" Arizona jumped up and pulled Callie to her feet. She wrapped her arms around Callie's neck and stood on her tip toes to kiss her lovingly on the lips. "I love you, Calliope."

"I love you too." Callie laughed as Arizona skipped back to the dining room.

"Guys! Help me put these in order please." Arizona instructed her friends. They stacked them all up first and looked at the giant pile in amazement. Tim had certainly kept himself busy over the years.

"No wonder why those boxes were so heavy." Mark said

"Seriously!" Arizona said arranging the last few books in order. "Okay, these go up to volume 51." She picked up the last one and opened it to the middle. "Oh my god..." She whispered.

"What is it, babe?" Callie asked looking up from the book she was reading through. Arizona handed her the book she had. Callie could tell this was made when Tim was much older since he had acquired a lot more skills. The characters in the book were older now too. She read about how Tim and his two sidekicks, Zona and Teds defeated an army of Lizbots from taking over Manhattan. "Do you know when this was from?"

"Around two weeks before he died. Look at Zona." Arizona couldn't believe Tim did these for so long.

Callie took a closer look and this time she noticed the tattoo on the character's back. "Oh..."

"I had another huge fight with my ex-girlfriend. I can't even remember what it was about. I stayed at his place for four days. Tim had begged me to break up with her. I bet that's when he drew that."

"So... these start when you were a kid and last until he died?" Callie saw Arizona nod. "This is basically his whole life through his eyes?"

"Yeah... pretty much."

"That's..." Callie didn't know what it was. Amazing? Weird? Crazy? "Wow."

"I know. Can you help me bring these to my room?" Arizona couldn't wait to read through them all, but was eager to see what other treasures they would find.

After the books were safely in Arizona's bedroom, the gang went back to opening boxes and spreading art our over the dining room table. "Your brother sure did like butterflies and flowers." Cristina said. She thought it was a little girly.

"No, I liked them." Arizona said as she opened another box. This one contained a couple tattoo machines, parts, and some various other supplies. She closed the box back up and snuck it under the table.

"Babe! Looks at this. Can I have it? Please?" Callie had unrolled a larger sketch and found a beautiful color portrait of her girlfriend.

Arizona laughed, "I guess so. What are you going to do with it?"

"Put it up in the living room so Cristina can see your face every morning." Callie joked.

"What?! No way. I don't want to have bubble gum nightmares every night."

"You know, Blondie, you could probably take some of these and sell them. They'd make decent money."

"Absolutely not!" There was no way in hell she'd sell her brothers stuff.

"So what? You're just going to leave it all in boxes?" Cristina asked. "What a waste." She had been secretly enjoying doing this and had her eye on a gorgeous painting. She wasn't about to ask if she could have it though.

"No... I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Why don't you get some framed and you can display them somewhere?" Callie said. She looked at Mark, who nodded and smiled at her. "We can even put a bunch up at Evangeline's."

"Really? You would want to do that?"

"Of course! It would be our pleasure." Callie leaned over and kissed the side of Arizona's head. "This stuff needs to be seen and it's the perfect place to display it. All kinds of people would appreciate his work there."

"Okay, let's do it!" Arizona smiled. It really was a good idea. Maybe she would even put some up in the bakery. "Which ones should we do?" Callie, Mark, and Arizona spent the next hour picking out their favorites that they thought would go well in their shop. Callie was going to take them to the framer the next day.

"Mark, we should get going. I have to get up early." Lexie said standing up. She really just wanted some alone time with him.

"Yeah, I have to go too. Mer promised me tequila tonight." Cristina stood up to leave. She looked back at the painting she really wanted and glanced at Arizona. "What are you doing with that one?"

Arizona looked where Cristina was pointing. The painting was a little to dark and twisty for her tastes. "I don't know, probably just put it back in the attic." She watched Cristina's eyes shift back and forth between her and the painting. She had noticed that Cristina had been unusually quiet the whole evening. "Do you want it, Cristina?"

"Sure. Whatever." Cristina grabbed the painting and hugged it close to her body. "Uh... thanks."

Arizona laughed. It would probably actually kill Cristina if she tried to show any kind of gratitude. "You're welcome." Everyone soon said their goodbyes, leaving Arizona and Callie alone.

Callie looked around at the mess in the dining room. "Crap, we should have made them help us bring this stuff back up before they left."

"It's fine, I'll take care of it later. Right now, I just want to take my love to bed." Arizona straddled Callie's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Thank you for doing this with me."

"Anytime, babe, anytime." Callie kissed Arizonas's lips. "Bedtime now?"

"Actually, I have a present for you." Arizona got off her lap and went to grab the box she hid earlier. She straddled Callie again, sitting closer to her knees, so she could fit the box in between them. She leaned her body over the box and put her forehead against Callie's, looking into her eyes. "I found these earlier and I want you to have them."

Callie looked down at the box, "What is it?"

"Open it." Arizona whispered and leaned back to give Callie more room. She watched the brunette's confused face as she slowly opened the box.

Callie gasped when she saw what was inside and looked up at Arizona's smiling face. "Arizona, I can't take these. They're your brothers, you should keep them."

"What am I going to do with a bunch of old tattoo stuff? I want you to have them. It means a lot to me. Please?"

"I... I don't know what to say. I'm honored. Thank you, baby." Callie looked back down in the box and reached her hand in to see what all was in there. She already had the best equipment money could buy, but this stuff has so much sentimental value and history. It was priceless to her. "Mark is going to be so jealous."

Arizona laughed. "You're not going to share?"

"Hell no! I might let him touch them once." Callie pulled out one of the cases and opened it to find a beautiful dark red machine. It almost still looked new. "I should teach you how to use this."

"I already know how." Arizona shrugged.

Callie froze and stared at the blonde wide eyed.

"What? Tim was starting to teach me. I wasn't very good yet and that was a very long time ago, so I doubt I remember anything."

Callie put the machine back in the box and set the box gently on the floor beside them. She put her arms around her girlfriend's back and pulled in her closer. She looked up into the clear blue eyes she fell in love with the first time she saw them that day on the street. "Mariposa, you continue to surprise me more everyday." Callie smiled and tucked the blonde hair that had fallen in Arizona's face behind her ear. "Thank you for these. It's the best present I have ever received." Even though she grew up in a rich family with parents who tried to buy their daughters love with the most extravagant gifts possible, she has never received something as amazing as this.

All of a sudden Callie was feeling overwhelmed with her love and passion for the woman straddling her lap. She grabbed the back of the blonde's neck and pulled her lips down for a searing kiss, causing both woman to release deep moans. Arizona used her strong tongue to part Callie's lips and swirled it slowly around the brunette's mouth. She felt Callie rub her hands up her bare thighs, reaching around and squeezing her ass hard. "Mmm, I love when you wear these dresses. Easy access." Callie said as she ran her hands back up her thighs and grabbed her girlfriends hips grinding her down on her lap.

Arizona gasped at the extra contact. "Only for you, babe." She quickly left a hot trail of kisses down Callie's neck, before reattaching her lips to the brunette's.

Callie ran her hands up the inside of Arizona's thigh, making sure to gently massage the sensitive skin there. When she got to her underwear, she pushed her thumb under the material and stroked the outside of the blonde's smooth and already slick lips. Callie broke their kissed and smirked. "Someone's a little wet." She looked up into lust filled blue eyes and whispered, "I really want to fuck you right now."

"Well then fuck me. I'm not going to stop you." Arizona giggled when Callie suddenly stood up with her still on her lap. Arizona instinctively wrapped her legs around the brunette's waist and grabbed her broad shoulders before she ended up on the ground on her ass. She didn't know that they weren't going very far though. Arizona shivered when Callie placed her butt down on the cold dining room table behind her and pushed her on her back so she could rip her underwear off. "Calliope, what are you doing?" she giggled again.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Callie asked. It seemed pretty obvious to her exactly what she was doing. She pulled the blonde back up into a seated position so she could pull her dress off over her head. She smiled at the fact the dress had a built in bra. Less obstacles to keep her from her prize.

"Not here!"

"Why not?"

"Because our guests eat here!"

"We'll wash it." Callie waved her hand offhandedly. She wasn't really comprehending what Arizona was saying. She was too distracted by the now naked blonde sitting on the table in front of her. She stared unabashedly down at her, making Arizona blush under the intense stare of those hunger filled brown eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Arizona was starting to get a little uncomfortable and cold. Really cold. The thin material of the tablecloth her now naked butt was sitting on did nothing to keep her warm from the cold wood beneath it.

"Cada vez que te miro, te veo más hermosa. Hay veces que me cuesta trabajo respirar si estoy cerca de ti, porque me quitas el aliento. Ahora recuéstate y cállate." Callie put one hand on Arizona's shoulder and pushed. She used her other hand to pull her leg down at the same time, so her ass was now lined up with the edge of the table. She spread the blonde's legs open, so she could stand in between them and locked the blondes ankles around her back.

"Calliope, what?" Arizona tried to ask before her body was taken over. She has heard Callie speak Spanish a couple of times before, when she was talking to her sister or niece on the phone, but never like this. She wondered if Callie even realized she had switched languages. Arizona found that those words in her girlfriend's quiet and husky sex voice were quite possibly the hottest thing ever. She reminded herself to ask her to speak more Spanish to her later, but for right now she needed to concentrate on the fingers that were now slowly slipping through the very wet area between her legs and the other fingers that were lightly pinching her nipple. She watched Callie's face as the brunette's eyes roamed her body. It made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. Arizona wanted nothing more than for Callie to enter her right now. "Calliope..." She felt one finger move closer to her opening, before it stopped and moved back down. "Calliope, please!" Two fingers thrust inside of her hard, causing her to accidentally unhook her ankles from Callie's waist and slide backwards across the large table, papers flying everywhere. Turns out the tablecloth against the slick wood was super slippery. She was lucky she didn't fly off the table completely. Callie was shocked by the sudden loss of the warmth of her girlfriend around her waist and fingers. They blinked at each other wide eyed before they both burst out laughing.

"What just happened?" Callie finally managed to ask through her laughter.

"I don't know, but it was kind of fun. Can I get off the table now?"

"No, I'm not done with you yet." Callie grabbed Arizona's leg again and pulled her back to her side of the table. She took the blonde by her wrists and wrapped her hands around the side of the table. "Hold on tight this time. I don't plan on being any gentler to keep you over here. You dont want to end up on the floor with a broken arm or something. Do you really want to explain how that happened to a paramedic?" She laughed when Arizona audibly gulped and slowly shook her head no.

_Yeah, I didn't think so._

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

First, I'd like to thank the wonderful cascan-mx who has kindly offered to help me with Callie's Spanish. Yay! I don't plan on interrupting conversations with the English translation, so you'll find them at the end in the notes. There's an a pretty good chance I'll forget, so feel free to yell at me to remind me. Especially if your are the first one to get it the chapter. On that note Callie says something along the lines of, "You get more and more beautiful every time I look at you. Sometimes it's hard to even breath around you, because you're always taking my breath away. Now lay down and shut up."

Second, I took home two first places, two second places, and I had one thing not place at all, which is okay. Guys, I beat out professionals in my town who have been doing this longer than I have been alive. It felt pretty fucking amazing.

Third, I don't think I have a third, which is weird because I usually have a lot more to say.


	20. Chapter 19 Part One: What is today?

**I feel like I've been focusing on Arizona a lot, so here's one for Callie. It's another two part chapter********.**

* * *

"Hi Marky, is Calliope here?" Arizona asked as she walked into Evangeline's.

She had just read a comic in Volume 31 of her brother's books that she had to show Callie right away, so she went next door when she knew her beautiful girlfriend would be there. Ever since she found her brother's comic books three months ago, she had been slowly reading through them. She smiled at herself thinking about that night. Arizona would never be able to eat dinner in her dining room ever again without blushing.

"No, she has the day off?" Mark was surprised that Arizona didn't already know that.

"What? No, that's impossible. She would have told me." Arizona would have definitely remembered if Callie had said anything about taking a day off, especially because her hard working girlfriend never took days off. "Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Arizona narrowed her eyes at Mark. She was sure he was lying. "How do you not know?"

"I really have no idea what she always does on this day. She doesn't tell anyone."

"Wait. What's today?"

Mark just realized he had probably just said too much. It was obvious his best friend hasn't talked to Arizona about today yet. "Um... maybe she should tell you."

Arizona marched up to Mark and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket to pull him down to her eye level. "Marcus Sloan, you tell me right now what Calliope is doing!"

Mark saw fire in the surprisingly strong blonde's eyes. He hoped Callie would forgive him. "I swear I don't know where she is. She takes this day off every year to spend by herself."

"What. Is. Today?" Arizona growled tightening her grip on his jacket.

"It's Eva'a birthday. She would have turned 30 today." Mark squeaked out. "She doesn't talk about it."

Arizona eyes soften and she let go of Mark. "You really don't know where she is?"

"No! Honest!"

Arizona thought for a moment, until she remembered something. "I know where she went." She turned to run out the door.

"Blondie! She wants to be alone!" Mark yelled after her. He was sure Callie was going to kill him.

Arizona ignored him and went back to her shop. She knew her girlfriend well and was sure she needed her. She prayed she was right. "April! I need to take the rest of the day off. Take care of things. Wrap me up a two shortys please!" She went to the back to grab her bag and change her clothes.

"No problem, Boss!" April loved when she was put in charge.

"Thanks April!" Arizona ran past her, grabbed the small pink to-go box, and ran out the door to her car. She needed to go home and get her bike. It would get her to where she needed to go much faster. When she got home, she rushed inside to grab her leather jacket and helmet. Arizona started the motorcycle as she mounted it and took a second to savor the sensation of the monster starting up below her. No matter how many times she did this, it always felt like the first time. The blonde exited her garage, weaved through the streets of the small town, and headed for the highway. Once she reached it, she mentally and physically prepared herself for the 63 mile ride. She knew she would need to be extra alert as she weaved in and out of the fast moving traffic. Arizona was confidant in her skills. She was one with her bike. It was basically an extension of her own body and she was able to control it with effortless ease.

Callie smiled and closed her eyes as another large jet flew low over her head. No matter how many times she did this, the rush was always the same. She loved coming here and only did it when she was feeling down or on special occasions, like to celebrate the birth of her oldest sister who would have been 30 today. Eva had passed away two weeks after her 15th birthday. Callie couldn't believe it has been fifteen years since she has seen her sister's smiling face, heard her infectious laugh, or felt her comforting hugs. She wrapped her arms around her own body and thought about all she had accomplished since then. She's had a lot of disasters in her life, but a lot of great things too, especially lately. Callie hoped Eva would be proud of her. She has her business, she had followed her passion when everything was against her, she has the shelter, and she had found Arizona. _Arizona... I wish she was here._ Callie didn't know why she hadn't talked to her girlfriend about today. She knew Eva would have loved Arizona. She also knew she wouldn't have treated her like she was nothing like the rest of her family. That was probably the thing she missed the most, her sister's unconditional love and support. Even though Callie was only eleven the last time she saw her, she knew Eva loved her no matter what. Callie suddenly felt eyes watching her. She smiled at the familiar presence she felt near her, but she wasn't sure where. Callie continued to stare down the runway. She would wait for Arizona to approach her.

Arizona quietly watched Callie from a distance. She somehow managed to time her arrival at the same time the airplane had flown overhead, so the brunette hadn't heard her approach. Callie was wearing the same leather jacket and boots she always wore. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her face was lit up with a smile. Arizona was happy to see her girlfriend's stunning smile and not tears. She grabbed the now squished pink box off the back of her bike and slowly walked towards Callie. Arizona was nervous since she wasn't sure how Callie would feel about her crashing her alone time.

Callie could feel Arizona moving closer to her. She was always amazed at how in tune she was to the blonde's movements. "What are you doing here?" Callie asked when she felt the blonde stop behind her.

Arizona was surprised. She thought she has been quiet enough to not be detected yet. "I thought I'd bring you some birthday cupcakes." Arizona paused to see if Callie would turn around. When she didn't, she tried again. "They're strawberry shortcake ones. They were Timmy's favorite. I didn't know what Evangeline liked."

"You drove all the way down here to bring me cupcakes?"

"Well... yeah." Arizona was having trouble gauging Callie's voice. She wished the brunette would turn around so she could read her expressive brown eyes. Was she mad she was here? Was she happy? What was she? Arizona was starting to feel stupid for coming uninvited. "And to see you. Mostly to see you. I'd drive around the world to see you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Callie turned her head slightly, but still not enough for Arizona to see her face. "She liked strawberries too."

"Oh... good." Arizona looked up when she heard the sound of approaching jet engines. When the plane barreled down the runway faster and faster at them, they both closed their eyes to fully take in the feel of the sound and wind. When the plane was gone, Arizona opened her eyes again. She jumped when she saw brown eyes staring down at her. "Calliope, I'm sorry if you don't want me here. I can-" She was cut off by the brunette's cold soft lips on her own. She shivered, realizing how much the temperature had dropped as it got later.

"I'm really happy you're here, Mariposa."

Arizona left out a breath of relief. "Why didn't you say anything before? I would have taken the day off too."

"I don't know. I'm just so used to doing these things by myself. Every year on her birthday I volunteer at the shelter in the mornings and ride down here after. It kind of became a tradition."

"You don't have to do anything by yourself anymore, you know? I'll help you do whatever you need me for."

"I know. I just forget sometimes. I've been on my own for so long. Sure, I've had Mark, but that's not the same. There's only so much he understands."

"I know exactly what you mean." A loss like theirs could never be fully understood until you have actually experienced it. Something neither woman would ever wish on anyone.

Callie knew why Arizona understood what she was trying to say. "I'm sorry you had to join the Dead Sibling Club." She really hated that that was the reason she had finally found someone who understood what she had gone through.

"Me too." Arizona threw her arms around Callie's waist and clung on as tight as she could. Callie wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck and did the same. Arizona buried her face into Callie's shoulder, inhaling her unique scent. They could hear another plane coming and squeezed each other tighter as it zoomed over their heads.

"How about that cake?" Callie said into blonde hair once the plane was gone.

"Yeah, sure. I forgot to bring candles." Arizona went to open the box, but was stopped by Callie's hand on hers.

"Not here. I've been here awhile and my ears are starting to ring." Callie looked around to see that Arizona had also ridden her bike down here. "I guess you'll just have to follow me."

"Hold on." Arizona pulled out her phone to send a text.

**Hey, can you come pick up my bike from the airport?**

**Did you find Callie? Is she okay?**

**Yes, she's okay. Can you?**

**Of course. Lexie and I will come down. Where is it?**

**Do you know the spot Callie goes to watch planes?**

**I know exactly where that is. Don't worry, Blondie. I'll take care of it. You just take care of our girl.**

**Thanks Mark! Don't hurt my baby or I'll break every single one of your fingers.**

Arizona put her phone back into her pocket. "Okay, it's all set. I'm going with you."

"You're just going to leave her our here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine." Arizona really hoped it would. She had more important things to worry about right now. "Where are we going?"

"I thought we could go to the lake."

"Sounds perfect." The two women settled onto Callie's bike and headed for the lake. Callie found a deserted spot and parked. Arizona looked around and was surprised to see that no one was around. "Please don't tell me you bought a lake too."

Callie laughed, "No! Just lucky timing, I guess." They found a large smooth rock close to the water to sit on.

Arizona opened the box and handed Callie a cupcake and kept the other one. "Should we sing or something?"

Callie nodded and began to sing a slow song in Spanish. Arizona had no idea what the song was about, but it was still the most beautiful thing she has ever heard. When she was done, they sat in silence looking over the serene lake. The sun had gone down and the moons reflection was dancing around the moving waters. Arizona took a huge bite out of her cupcake. "I wish you would sing more, Calliope." She mumbled through her food.

"Maybe." Callie smiled at how adorable Arizona looked with cake on her face. She leaned over and ran her tongue over the blondes frosting covered lips. "Mmm, you're amazing."

"I do what I can." Arizona put the other half of her cupcake down and cupped Callie's cheeks to hold her close before the brunette pulled away. She looked into her girlfriend's eyes. "I love you. You know that?"

Callie smiled and kissed sugar sweet lips. "I love you too. Thank you for finding me tonight."

"I'll always find you, Calliope."

Callie laid on her back on the rock and Arizona followed her lead. They held hands while looking up at the millions of bright stars. "This is beautiful. You don't ever see this many stars in New York. Too many lights and pollution." Arizona said in awe. She's never seen anything like this. Her eyes went wide when she saw a streak of light fly through the sky. "Was that a shooting star?"

"Probably." Callie didn't see it, but she knew they weren't uncommon to see around here. She turned her head to look at Arizona's profile. "Did you make a wish?"

Arizona turned her head to look at Callie's face. "I did." She said quietly.

Callie could tell by the look in her girlfriends shining blue eyes what she had wished for, so she didn't ask. "Good." She smiled and turned her head back towards the stars. A cool breeze picked up and she felt Arizona shiver next to her. She let go of her hand and opened her arms, inviting the blonde to lay in them for warmth. Arizona gladly accepted and cuddle up close to Callie. They continued to watch the night sky in peaceful silence. "Do you ever miss it?" Callie asked out of the blue.

Arizona frowned, "Miss what?"

"New York."

"Not really. I mean I miss my parents and I miss Teddy like crazy, but I really love it here." Arizona tighten her hold on Callie. "I feel safe and have nothing but good memories here."

Callie contemplated her next question for a minute. She wasn't sure how Arizona would react. "I know the people who took Tim from you weren't caught, but why?" Callie cringed when she felt Arizona stiffen in her arms. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"It's okay. You're allowed to ask me whatever you want." Arizona sighed, "It's because of me. I was the only witness and I was too hysterical to give any details or remember anything. The police tried for a year, but without any kind of description or leads it was impossible."

"That isn't your fault, Mariposa." Callie hugged Arizona tighter in her arms. "I hope one day you believe that."

"Me too."

"If they were found, would you be able to identify them now? Would you be willing to stand up in a court and face them?" Callie had an idea she knew would work.

"I see them in all my nightmares. I know exactly what they look like. I'd do anything to put them in jail."

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Nothing." Callie didn't want to say anything until she made a few phone calls. "Do you want to start heading home? Do we need to go get your bike?"

"Sure and no, I took care of it." Arizona let Callie help her off the rock.

They climbed onto Callie's bike and headed home. The long ride gave each woman time to think. After an hour, Callie pulled up in front of her apartment and pulled off her helmet. "I hope this is okay. Cristina isn't home and I just assumed we'd stay together tonight."

Arizona took off her helmet and shook out her hair. "It's perfect."

When they made it upstairs, Callie disappeared into her room to make a phone call. She sat on her bed nervously with her thumb hovering over the call button. As much as she didn't want to make this phone call, she had to do it for Arizona. She smiled when Tinkerbell jumped into her lap. Her cat could always sense when she needed a little extra boost. After scratching under Tinkerbell's chin, she blew out a large breath and hit send.

"Torres residence." A woman's voice Callie didn't recognize answered the phone. She figured is was another new maid. Her mother had a knack for scaring them away.

"Um, hi. Is Mr. Torres home?"

"May I ask who's speaking?"

"It's his daughter."

"Aria?"

"No, his other daughter." Silence. "It's Callie, Callie Torres." _You know, the gay daughter he has probably never told you about._

"One moment please." Callie heard the woman put the phone down and walk away. She came back a minute later. "Mr. Torres is in a meeting right now. Can I take a message?"

"It's ten o'clock at night, he is not in a meeting." Callie knew he wouldn't make this easy for her.

"Mr. Torres is a very busy man."

"I know that. Can you just tell him I need his help? I'll wait." She knew her father liked to play the hero, she wasn't sure at what cost though.

"One moment please." The woman put the phone down again and hurried off.

Callie stroked Tinkerbell's soft fur for ten minutes before she heard another line being picked up. "Calliope? Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? Can't this wait until morning?"

Callie sighed at her father's businesslike tone of voice. Like she was one of his business partners calling to deliver him bad news. "It's nice to talk to you too, Dad."

"The timing of this phone call just seems odd."

Callie knew it was strange to be calling her dad for the first time in months late at night, and on Eva's birthday. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just need some help only you could provide. Trust me, I would have called someone else if I had the choice."

"What do you need? Are you in trouble?" Carlos Torres' voice soften. Even though he didn't believe in his youngest daughter's life choices, he would still help her if she was in trouble.

"No, Daddy. Nothing like that." Callie didn't know where to go from here. "I just need your best lawyers and connections."

"Why Calliope? You have your own money."

"I didn't say I needed your money. I just need phone numbers and your references. I can pay for it myself."

"What is this about?"

"Can't you just trust me?"

"If I am going to stick my neck out there for you, then you will tell me what this is about."

"My..." Callie didn't want to lie, but she knew she would have to to get her father to agree. "really good friend witnessed their brother being murdered in front of them five years ago in a park in New York. They never found who did it. I was hoping you could use your guys to track them down and then your lawyers to put them away in jail for good." Callie's father was silent. "Please, Daddy. I'll do anything. Pay anything they want. I need to help this family get justice."

Carlos could hear the desperation in his daughters voice. Ever since she was a little girl, she was never able to hide her emotions. "Calliope, este "amigo" de quien me hablas, es mujer?"

"Si..." Callie knew he was on to her.

"Una de tus amigas especiales"?

Callie sighed, "Si, papi, ella es mi novia."

"Calliope, tú sabes lo que opinamos tu madre y yo de esto."

"No lo entiendes, ella no es solo mi novia, ella es mi futuro. Estoy segura." Callie smiled. "Ella me hace inmensamente feliz, y quisiera que, por una vez, tú y mamá se alegraran por mi."

"No me hace feliz el saber que mi pequeña irá al infierno"

"Are you going to help me or not?" Callie snapped. She was mad now. No, she was hurt. She has heard her family say she's going to hell many times, but it always stung. She had hoped they would eventually change their minds, especially by the time she found the one. She was losing hope though.

"Bring this woman to dinner here tomorrow night and we'll discuss it then. No arguing. Goodnight, Calliope." Carlos hung up before Callie could protest. She stared at her cell phone in shock. What did this mean? Her father had never allowed Callie to bring anyone to a family dinner, except for Mark. Callie quickly dialed another number.

"Hello?"

"Aria! What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Callie? Nothing. Why? What's wrong?"

"Can you and Alexa come to Mom and Dads for dinner? He demanded I bring Arizona over and I'm hoping with Alexa there they won't be too horrible to her."

"Yes, of course." Aria knew that this was a huge deal for her sister. "Are you okay with this?"

"I'm freaking out! I don't even know how to tell Arizona that I accidently got her invited to the lions den. She is going to leave me for sure."

"No she isn't. That woman loves you too much. Alexa and I will be there to be the buffers. It will be fine."

"Thank you! I owe you."

"It's no problem. I know I wasn't really there for you when we were younger, but I'm here now okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Callie wanted to bring up Eva, but wasn't sure if she should or not.

Aria ended up bringing her up first. "Did you say happy birthday today? Dana, Alexa, and I went to get cupcakes from Arizona's, but we didn't see her. Alexa was disappointed. She really loves her.

"I did. Arizona and I had cupcakes too."

"The strawberry shortcake ones?"

"Yeah."

"Us too! They were amazing. How are you not 500 pounds yet?"

"I don't know." Callie laughed. She often wondered the same thing. "I guess I'll let you go."

"Te amo hermanita."

"Yo también te amo, Ari."

"Te veo mañana, Va a ser divertido!"

"Pffft, not exactly my definition of fun. Bye, Aria!" Callie hung up and hugged Tinkerbell. She was scared to go back into the living room and talk to Arizona. She looked up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Calliope? What are you doing in here?"

"I have to tell you something and please don't hate me."

Arizona looked at Callie's anxious face and got worried. She hurried to sit down next to the brunette. "I could never hate you, baby. What is it?"

"My father wants us to go over to their house for dinner tomorrow night."

"Us? As in you and your hot lesbian lover?" Arizona wasn't sure if she was more shocked, scared, or intrigued about meeting Callie's parents. "How?"

"Im really sorry, but I called him about you brother. He just has so many connections around the world. I just know he'd be able to find them and put then in jail."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to get your hopes up. He still hasn't agreed. All he said was to bring you over for dinner and that we'd discuss it then. I'm so sorry!"

"You called your dad for me?" Arizona knew Callie doesn't really like to talk to her family, since they usually treat her poorly.

"Well, yeah. I'd do anything for you."

"Okay then we go to dinner tomorrow. How bad could it be?"

"You have no idea." Callie kissed Arizona tenderly. "Come on, I need a drink. Or ten."

* * *

Callie fidgeted nervously with her keys as she waited for Arizona to come downstairs ready to go. The still had forty-five minutes before they had to be at her parents, but she was anxious to leave. "Arizona! What are you doing?"

"Calm down. I'm ready." Arizona said while putting her earrings on as she came down the stairs. She hoped what she picked to wear to meet her girlfriends conservative rich parents was appropriate. "Is this okay?" She spun around showing off her outfit.

Callie took in the knee length, sleeveless black sheath dress and expensive heals Arizona was wearing. Her blonde hair was pinned up in intricate twists and curls. "You look really beautiful." Callie doesn't usually get to see Arizona all dressed up, since they liked to stay casual when they go out. She made a mental note to take her out to a fancy dinner if they survived this evening.

"Thank you, so do you." Callie had chosen black slacks and a tight fitting red sweater that had a higher neckline than what Arizona would have liked. She knew Callie probably had taken extra care to make sure every tattoo she had was hidden. It made the blonde sad to know that Callie couldn't show off her true self to her parents. "You ready to do this?"

"Not yet." Callie stepped forward and ran her hands up the side of Arizona's silky smooth dress. She leaned in to kiss her girlfriends perfectly painted pink lips. Arizona's lips always tasted so sweet. They were addicting. Callie stepped back to where she was fidgeting earlier. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"Want me to drive?" Arizona joked. She knew there was no way in hell that would be happening.

Callie smiled, "No, I got it." The women climbed into her Audi, but Callie didn't move.

Arizona put her hand on Callie's thigh, "Are you okay?"

"I just can't believe this is actually happening. I can't even remember the last time I saw my parents face to face and I've never ever brought any girlfriends home to meet them. They are probably going to try to scare you away. Promise me you won't let them?"

"Of course they can't scare me. They scariest thing I could think of is not having you in my life."

"Cheeseball." Callie smiled. She was scared of the same thing.

"I'm being serious!" Arizona laughed. "We should probably get this car moving. We're going to be late."

"Yeah, yeah." Callie leaned over and kissed the blonde's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's go. Zoom zoom!"

Callie rolled her eyes and started the car. Her parents lived about ten miles up the mountain. The roads were curvy the entire way, so it took awhile to get up there. As they drove further up the mountain, Arizona was staring to get more and more nervous. It was well known in this town that the higher you drove, the bigger and more expensive the houses get. Callie stopped at a large solid wood gate and typed in a code on a keypad that was well hidden in the wall. The gate slowly came to life and rolled back, exposing a circular driveway with a water fountain centered in the middle of it. "Holy shit." Arizona blurted out when she saw the massive house settled on the edge of a cliff, giving the whole property the best views of the Sierra Nevadas money could buy.

"I know. My parents are a little extreme."

"You grew up here?" Arizona looked around in amazement. This was the most beautiful place she has ever seen.

"Yeah." Callie was embarrassed. She always had the biggest and best of everything and felt like she didn't deserve it. That's why she made it a point to live how she does now.

"Wow..."

"Come on, let's get this over with." They exited the car and Callie handed her keys to the young man standing at the head of the driveway.

Arizona watched him take Callie's car into some sort of underground garage. "Really?"

"Like I said, extreme." Callie rang the doorbell and saw Arizona looking at her funny. "This stopped being my home the moment my father kicked me out. I don't let myself in anymore." The large door creaked open before Arizona could say anything. She knew she shouldn't have been, but Arizona was still surprised to see that a uniformed maid answered the door.

"How may I help you?"

"We're here to see Mr. Torres for dinner. He invited us." Callie said. Arizona just looked at her confused and Callie shook her read slightly warning her to not ask her any question. This situation was already awkward enough.

"Of course. He has been expecting you. Come in. Ms. Aria and Ms. Alexa are already here. Everyone is waiting for you in the parlor." The maid turned and quickly walked away, expecting the two women to follow.

"Oooo a parlor. How fancy." Arizona whispered in a funny accent to Callie, causing the brunette to laugh and the maid to turn around and give then a dirty look. Arizona zipped her lips shut and looked around. This house couldn't be for real. It was all marble and fancy wood she knew nothing about. It was so polished and generic, she wasn't even sure people actually lived in it. Arizona was suddenly very grateful for her own upbringing. She subtly grabbed Callie's hand and squeezed it reassuringly before letting it go. Callie turned her head and smiled at her to show she got the message.

After what felt like the longest walk of their life, they finally stopped outside two large double doors. "Go right on in. Have a good night." The maid disappeared back down the long hallway. Callie grabbed the door handle. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be. You?"

"No." Callie pulled the door open and held it for Arizona to walk through. She closely followed her, resting her hand on the small of the blonde's back. Callie needed some kind of contact with her or she was sure she would vomit all over the $200,000 rug.

"Auntie Callie! Auntie Zona!" They were greeted by the little girl running and launching herself into Arizona's arms. She started calling Arizona 'Auntie Zona' two months ago and no one ever corrected her. Arizona loved that little girl as much as if she were her own anyway. "I've missed you! Mommy and I tried to visit you yesterday, but you weren't there."

"Hi Alexa! I've missed you too." Arizona squeezed the young girl in her arms. Callie smiled at her two favorite girls interacting. She had almost forgot where they were. Almost.

"Alexa Evangeline Torres Rodriguez! That is not how you greet guests!" Lucia Torres was not happy by the way her granddaughter seemed so familiar with the woman her daughter had brought to her home.

Arizona turned to see a much older version of her girlfriend moving quickly toward them. She assumed this must be Callie's mother and shifted Alexa in her arms so her right hand was free to introduce herself. "Hello, you must me Mrs. Torres. I'm Arizona Robbins, Calliope's g-" She was cut off by the older Torres.

"Ah yes, it always lovely to meet some of our daughter's friends." She stared back at Arizona without taking her hand. Arizona knew that face. It was Callie's 'I'm not impressed' face. _Creepy. _

"Auntie Callie and Auntie Zona aren't friends. They're girlfriend's! Mommy says they love each other very much. Just like her and Daddy. She says it's okay, because love is love no matter what." Alexa said while nodding her head once in conviction. "Isn't that right, Mommy?"

Aria walked up to the group and took her daughter from Arizona. "That is absolutely right baby girl." She was proud of her daughter for standing up for her aunt. Aria could see the fire in her mother's eyes. "What mother? I know you have something to say."

"No puedo creer los pecados y mentiras que le estás enseñando a mi nieta!"

"Abuela! Speaking Spanish in front of people who don't understand is rude." Alexa didn't realize how much trouble she was getting her mom into. "Auntie Zona doesn't know Spanish. I've been trying to teach her, but Auntie Callie says she's a lost cause. I don't know what that means, but she's bad at it."

"Alexa, this woman is not your aunt. You can address her as Ms. Robbins and nothing else." Maria was appalled.

"But-"

"Not buts! Don't argue with me. What has gotten into you, child? Your mother has been letting you spend too much time with Calliope."

Arizona glanced behind her at Callie, who had been standing by the door and was unusually quiet this whole time. She was looking almost fearfully at her mother. Aria had a similar look on her face. Lucia looked like she was about to unleash her fury. Alexa glanced between the four tense adults. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, baby girl. You're perfect." Arizona grabbed Alexa from her mom's arms. "Why don't you show me some of your toys?"

"Okay! All of my favorite toys are here. I'll even let you play with them!"

The three Torres women watched Arizona and Alexa walk away giggling to each other. Callie couldn't help but smile widely. She wished she could go with them. She heard her mother clear her throat and her smile fell. Callie turned to address her mother for the first time since she got here. "Mama, It's good to see you." _Total lie. _

"Calliope, why did you bring her here?"

"Daddy told me to. Where is he?"

"He's finishing up a business call." Lucia turned to Aria. "And you! How could you teach your daughter that nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense, Mother. It's the truth."

"It certainly is not! How can you leave my granddaughter alone with that woman? She's going to probably corrupt her with her lies." She started to walk towards her granddaughter. "I won't have it!"

Aria roughly grabbed her arm. "Mother, no! I choose who my daughter can spend time with. Arizona is a wonderful person and Alexa loves her very much."

"Just wait until your father hears about this." She would just wait for her husband. He'll take care of it.

"Mamá, papi ya lo sabe! Anoche le dije lo mucho que amo a Arizona y que ella es todo para mi."

Arizona and Alexa were sitting across the room playing. Arizona perked up when she heard her name. "Alexa, what are they saying?"

"Mommy says it's not okay to eavesdrop."

"I'll bring you a cookie if you tell me." Arizona couldn't believe she just bribed a six year old. She really needed to learn Spanish.

Alexa's face lit up. "Okay, Aunt Callie said that she told grandpa that she loves you very much."

"No sabes de lo que estás hablando, Calliope!" The older Torres had hoped her daughter would be over this ridiculous phase by now.

"She said that Aunt Callie doesn't know what she is talking about."

"I do too! She's the one! I can feel it with everything that I am! Can't you be happy for me? Please?!" Callie was yelling now. She had hoped they would at least make it through dinner before she started yelling.

"She said that you're the one. That she can feel it. She wants grandma to be happy for her." Alexa whispered.

"Really? She said that?" Arizona smiled. They never really discussed that and now she was telling her mom that she was the one. Arizona's heart was bursting with love and pride.

"Will you be this happy when your both in hell?"

"She said-"

"No, I understood that loud and clear." Arizona stood up. She has had enough. No one talks to her girlfriend that way, not even her scary mother. She gathered all the confidence she could and walked up behind Callie. She wrapped her arms around her waist to calm the fiery Latina down before she said something she would regret. Callie leaned back and relaxed herself into her girlfriends arms. She always knows how to make her feel better. Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder and glared at her mom. "Is there a problem here, Mrs. Torres?"

"No, but I think you should leave." Maria was disgusted by the way the two women were touching each other right in front of her.

"Mother!" Aria couldn't believe her mother had just said that. She usually had perfect manners and was a perfect host, even when it killed her.

"Gladly." Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and started to head for the door. She glanced at the brunette's blank face and winced. She knew that look was the worst for Callie. it meant she was shutting down. "You want to go, right?" Callie nodded and started to walk away.

"Wait, wait! You're leaving me already?" Alexa latched her arms around Callie's legs. "No, please stay!"

"I'm sorry, Lex, but your grandma doesn't want us here. We'll come visit you soon, okay? I owe you a cookie, remember?" Arizona winked at the little girl.

"No! Stay! Abuela! Let them stay!" Alexa pouted.

"No, baby girl. Even if she wanted us here, we still have to go. She hurt your Auntie Callie's feelings." Arizona didn't care that she was making the older Torres redder and redder in the face. She was just being honest with the little girl.

"Abuela! You apologize to Auntie Callie right now!" Alexa demanded.

"Alexa! You do not talk to me that way. You are a little girl and I am the adult."

"Then act like it!" Alexa yelled. "Maybe you should just leave!"

All the adults froze in shock. No one knew how to react to that.

"What is going on in here?!" Carlos Torres yelled as he came in through the doors. He could here the women bickering all the way down the hall in his office.

Alexa unwrapped her arms from Callie's leg and jumped into her grandfather's arms. He was her hero. She knew he would fix whatever was happening. "Abuelo! Abuela is being mean to Auntie Callie and Auntie Zona! She hurt their feelings and is making them leave. She said they were going to hell. She needs to be punished."

"Alexa!" Now Aria knew her daughter had gone a step too far.

"What Mommy? He asked and I want them to stay."

Carlos just stared wide eyed at his beautiful and intelligent little granddaughter. Alexa was the light of his life and she has changed him in many ways. She reminded him so much of Callie when she was at that age, even though she was Aria's daughter. If he wasn't there to witness her birth, he would have thought she was actually Callie's. He had no idea what kind of mess he just walked into. He looked to his red faced fuming wife. He hasn't see her this mad in years. Carlos then looked at his youngest daughter who he missed so much and to the stunning blonde stranger who was holding her hand. Her blue eyes were fixated on him. Almost challenging him. He could see this woman was ready to do anything to protect his Calliope. Carlos had already decided he was going to help Callie with whatever she asked for and he had hoped they could have a decent meal together for once. He was only twenty minutes late and his wife had already torn everything apart. Now he had to decide if he was going to take his wife's side or his daughter's, who he hadn't seen in months. He knew that this could quite possibly be what made him lose another daughter for good. But, his relationship with his wife has been on rocky ground for the past year, so he could possibly lose her too. It was both an impossible and easy decision. He went to put his granddaughter down, "Alexa, stay in here with your mama and grandma, I need to talk to your aunt and her friend in private, okay?"

"Auntie Zona is her girlfriend." Alexa corrected. She wasn't sure if anyone had told him yet. She leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "They love each other. Like Daddy loves Mommy. Not like I love my my bestest friend, Ashley." She didn't want to get in trouble again, but needed to explain to make sure he understood.

Carlos studied her for a moment and then laughed, "You're absolutely right, I need to talk to your aunt and her girlfriend." Callie's mouth fell open. This was the first time in her life her father has ever acknowledged anything close to her being gay.

"Are they staying for dinner?"

Carlos didn't know how to answer Alexa. He wasn't sure they would be willing to stay after he said what he had to say. "I don't know. It will be up to them."

_I really hope so._

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

**Like I said before looots of of Jack tonight. If I screw up this translation, I'm sorry! It's in order. Alexa's translation for Arizona is not included below. I'll do better next time. I love you readers!**

"Calliope, is this friend a woman?"

"One of your special friends?"

"Yes, Daddy, she's my girlfriend."

"Calliope, you know how your mother and I feel about this."

"You don't understand. She is not just my girlfriend. She is my forever. I know it."

"She makes me really happy and I wish you and Mama could be happy for me for once."

"I can't be happy about my little girl going to hell."

"I love you little sister."

"I love you too, Ari."

"See you to tomorrow. It should be fun!"

"I can't believe the filth and lies you are teaching my granddaughter"


	21. Chapter 19 Part Two: What is today?

**This story has now hit 100,000 words. Who knew I had that long of an attention span? I sure didn't :)**

* * *

Once Alexa was settled back in with her toys in another room, Carlos turned his attention to his wife. "Lucia, give me a moment with Calliope."

"I trust you're going to take care of this?"

"Of course, my love." He kissed Lucia lightly on the cheek and turned to his youngest daughter and her girlfriend. He could tell his Calliope was hurting and he could see her blonde companion was ready to pounce if needed. Carlos wasn't sure what was appropriate to do. He wanted to take his baby girl into his lap when she was hurting, like when she was a child. He knew that he and his wife were the cause of her pain though. He didn't think he'd be able to get passed her blue eyed guardian either. "I apologize for not introducing myself sooner." Carlos smiled and held out his right hand to the blonde. "Carlos Torres. Welcome to my home." He already knew who she was. He had spent the day doing his research.

Arizona eyed the stern looking man who she had already figured out was Callie's father. He oozed power and wealth. She had a feeling this man always got what he set out for and no one ever stood up to him. Arizona was finally understanding why Callie acts the way she does towards her family and why she had let Erica walk all over her. This man in front of her was so completely opposite from her own father. She found herself not trusting his kindness. Arizona let go of Callie's hand to return the handshake and smiled politely. "Arizona Robbins. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Torres." She continued to stand firmly between him and her girlfriend. She would do whatever Callie needed her to do.

"You too, Ms. Robbins."

"Please, it's Arizona, Sir." As much as she disliked this man, Arizona's mother had taught her to be polite.

"Well, Arizona. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I am sure Calliope has updated you on our situation."

_Situation? What situation?_ The fact he treats the most wonderful woman in the world like she was nothing? The fact that his wife was quite possibly the worst mother? "I'm not sure what you are referring to."

"I am sorry to hear about your brother. No family should have to experience that. Calliope has asked for my assistance."

_Oh, that situation._ "Thank you, she did mention that."

Carlos glanced behind Arizona and locked eyes with his daughters apprehensive brown ones. They looked so much like his wife's, but warmer. Lucia tended to have nothing but coldness in her eyes. Especially over the last few years. She used to have the same warmness as Callie. That was who he fell in love with. He couldn't help but think he not only ruined his daughter, but also his wife. "Calliope..." He trailed off when Arizona turned her back to him and faced Callie. His daughter broke eye contact with him to look down at the blonde.

Arizona took both of Callie's hands into her own and silently asked if she was okay. Arizona hated seeing her girlfriend this way. Callie wasn't sure how to answer. She was in a room with both her mother and father for the first time in a long time. She knew that she shouldn't be this anxious around them. It didn't always used to be this way. Her parents were never the model parents, but they used to be an actual caring family. Callie had loved them more than anything and she had thought they loved her. Of course she still loves them, but it was different. Her father used to be her hero. He could do no wrong in her young eyes. Her mother used to be warm and inviting. She remembered her tucking her and her sisters in with either a song or a story every single night without fail. Callie couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when it all went wrong. Maybe it was when Eva was diagnosed, maybe it was when her parents threw their money at every doctor in the world to try and save her, maybe it was the moment they finally gave in to the fact that she couldn't be saved, or maybe it was when she finally succumbed to the disease that slowly took her life. Callie knew it was before they found out she was gay. That was just the thing they had decided to focus on. She knew she ruined their image of a perfect family, but she couldn't care anymore. Every family event she had to hide who she was. She didn't even have contact with her favorite cousins anymore. No one ever questioned anything. That's how this family functioned. She focused back in on Arizona. She had Arizona and she had her friends. That's all she needed. Callie decided right then and there that if tonight didn't go well, she was done with this for good.

Arizona watched as the many emotions flashed across Callie's eyes and smiled when her face landed on a cross between love and determination. This was her Calliope. Arizona didn't know what she was thinking, but she liked it. Callie smiled and squeezed her hands before letting them go. It's was time to face her father.

Carlos watched the interaction between the two women with great interest. He had never witnessed anything like it. He was surprised when they switched positions and Callie took the protective stance in front of Arizona. "Daddy, if you want to talk, we'll talk, but if you plan on treating Arizona with anything other than the respect she deserves, then we are leaving right now."

"Calliope, of course not. She is our guest."

"That didn't stop Mama."

"Carlos! I thought you said you were taking care of this." Lucia was getting impatient. She wanted them to leave so she could have dinner with her family.

"Lucia, I am."

"They're still here, aren't they?"

"Yes, because I want them to be here. This is my house. They are my guests."

"This is my house too, Carlos. I dont want Alexa around this."

"Around what?" Carlos knew his wife could be difficult, but he didn't actually think she'd go as low to say what he thought she was saying.

"This! That!" Lucia pointed at Arizona.

"Mama!" "Lucia!"

"Mrs. Torres, with all due respect, I'm not sure why other people tolerate your abuse, but I don't have to take it. Between what Calliope has told me and what I have seen tonight, I haven't seen one thing that makes me believe that this wonderful woman could have come from you. She is everything that you are not. Calliope is loving, supportive, caring, strong, honorable, and a whole lot of other great things that you probably don't even know the meaning of. I mean, where did that come from? Because I'm not seeing it here. My parents taught me to always see the best in people, but I can't find one thing about you that is admirable. Maybe you should take lessons from your 6 year old granddaughter on how to be a decent human being." Arizona stopped before she dug herself in deeper. She was breathing heavily from the rage this awful woman made her feel. She wasn't used to feeling like this.

"Carlos, are you going to let her talk to me this way?" Lucia said calmly. She was too calm. It made everyone uncomfortable. She turned to her daughter, "Calliope, are you really going to let this woman disrespect your own mother."

"No, you don't get to talk to her anymore." Arizona stepped in front of Callie again. She wouldn't let Callie get hurt by her mother ever again. "If you have a problem, you can talk to me. She's taken enough of your crap for the last 10 years. I love her and I'll protect her from you in any way I have to."

"You are being ridiculous. She doesn't need protection from her own mother." Lucia finally turned to address Arizona.

"Oh really? You need to rethink that, because it's certainly not me who talks down to her or treats her like she's nothing just because she is who she is. I'm not the one who makes her cry and I would never ever hurt her if I can help it." Arizona stepped closer to the older woman. "You know who does do those things?" She looked around the room. "Oh, look, it's you!"

"Ms. Robbins, that is enough." Carlos needed to gain control of the room. This was quickly getting out of hand. Lucia and Arizona continued to stare each other down.

After no response from her girlfriend, Callie decided to step in. She put her hand on Arizona's shoulder. "Babe?" The blonde turned to look at her and Callie could see the regret in her eyes. She knew Arizona hadn't meant to say what she said out loud. She normally would never show disrespect like that, but something about Lucia just made her lose her cool. Callie saw Arizona's eyes start to water and hugged her tight. "Oh, no baby, no. It's okay. You're okay." She watched as her mom stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry." Arizona whispered. "Your mom is really going to hate me now."

"She was never going to give you a chance anyway." Callie laughed.

"This isn't funny!" Arizona laughed too. It kind of was in a screwed up sort of way.

"You're very brave, Mariposa. No one stands up to Lucia Torres and lives to talk about it. She may try to knock your social status down a couple notches." Callie wiped away the few tears that escaped down Arizona's face. "You think you can live with that?"

Arizona laughed, "Yeah, I can live with that." She glanced at Carlos, who was pretending not to watch them. She didn't care that he was in the room, she wanted to kiss her girlfriend. Arizona went to quickly peck Callie's lips, but the brunette grabbed her face and deepened the kiss.

"I'm going to kiss my girlfriend whenever and wherever I want to, okay?"

"Okay, I wasn't sure." Arizona nodded her head toward the now uncomfortable looking older man.

"I don't care what he thinks anymore. It's just you and me now. He can accept it or not have us in his life. He cut me off once, so I'll cut him off."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Callie kissed Arizona again. "I think it's time to go. We've had enough fun for tonight."

"Yeah. I'm hungry and you owe me dinner, so you're going to cook."

"Anything you want, babe. You deserve it." She turned to look at her father. "Daddy, we've obviously overstayed our welcome, so we'll talk later."

"Calliope, you can't go. You haven't had dinner and we still haven't discussed Ms. Robbins situation."

Arizona really wished he'd stop calling her brother's murder a 'situation'. "Sir, I'm sure Mrs. Torres doesn't want me here for dinner."

"It is not her decision. She can eat in the kitchen if she doesn't agree. Now, please, let's go to my office." He headed out the door. There was no discussing it further.

Callie sighed and took Arizona's hand. They had no choice but to follow Carlos down the hall to his office. When they entered, Arizona subtly looked around. She didn't want to be caught gawking. She loved that it held a large collection of books in floor to ceiling bookshelves and even had a rolling ladder. There was a sitting area with a small couch and three comfy looking leather chairs surrounding a coffee table. Callie pulled her towards the large mahogany desk Carlos was already standing behind. He gestures towards the two chairs in front of the desk. "Please, have a seat."

Callie rolled her eyes. Her father had gone into business mode. It's usually how he dealt with difficult situations. When she was fifteen and was caught sneaking in past curfew smelling like smoke when they had negotiated her punishment for an hour like a business deal. "What did you want to discuss?"

"First, I would like to apologize on behalf of my wife. She doesn't-" Callie cut him off.

"Don't apologize for her. She doesn't want you to."

"Mr. Torres, I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier. It was not like me. I never-" Callie interrupted her too.

"Arizona, no you don't have to apologize for being right."

"Calliope, stop interrupting us."

Carlos laughed, "Ms. Robbins is right. Don't interrupt. What I was trying to say was that your mother doesn't understand. She needs some time."

"Time?! She's had nine years. It's not like I just came in here and sprang this on her."

"No, but it is the first time you have brought a woman home."

"You would never let me before!"

"Was there ever anyone this special before?"

"Well..." Callie looked at Arizona and smiled, "No, never." Arizona took her hand and put it in her lap.

"See. Just give your mother time."

"Daddy, that is never going to happen, no matter how much time I give her." Callie slouched back in her chair and crossed her arms over her middle. She really wanted to leave. She started to bite her thumb nail. It was a stupid nervous habit she couldn't get ride of. Suddenly she sat straight up, causing Arizona to pull her hand away in alarm. "Wait..." She narrowed her eyes at her father. "What do you mean SHE needs time? SHE doesn't understand? Shouldn't you be saying we?"

Carlos sighed, "Calliope, I still do not understand this. I probably never will. I've come to the decision to try."

"Try? You're going to try?! All of a sudden out of nowhere, after years of nothing, you're magically going to try?"

"Calliope, this is good news." Arizona said. She could see Callie was about to misdirect her anger again. Callie always did it as a defense mechanism. It took Arizona a couple of random out if nowhere heated arguments to figure it out.

"I couldn't even get him to talk to me about it for years. Nine years! Arizona, he threw my out. Took away everything. Now he's just going to 'try'." Callie really wanted to be ecstatic at this news, but didn't want to get her hopes up, so she turned to anger. It was the easiest. "Just out of nowhere! After torturing me for so long. I don't get it."

Arizona grabbed the ranting brunette's hand. She put her other hand on the brunette's cheek and turned her head so she could look her in the eyes, "Maybe just listen to him. See what he has to say and what changed his mind. If you don't like what he has to say, we can leave. Okay?"

Arizona's touch instantly calmed Callie down. "Okay, you're right." She looked at her father. "I'm sorry. Can you please tell me what made you change your mind?"

Carlos stared between the two women in shock. He has seen his daughter's fiery attitude many times over the years. Usually when she got going, she didn't stop for hours. Sometimes days. She was as stubborn and hotheaded as her mother. He had just watched Arizona calm her down and bring her back in less then a minute. It was impressive. "Ms. Robbins here did."

"I did?" "She did?" Arizona and Callie were confused. Arizona didn't remember saying anything to him that would suddenly make him okay with Callie being gay.

"You don't get as far as I have in business if you don't know how to read people. Ms. Robbins-"

"Please call me Arizona."

"Of course. When I first walked into that room, I could tell from the very first moment Arizona was prepared to do anything in her power to protect you, Calliope. I observed your interactions and I can see you two love each other very much." He watched as they both lit up his office with their smiles. "The biggest thing is that I miss you, Calliope. We used to be very close."

"Daddy, I've been here the whole time. You didn't want to see me." Other than family holidays, they didn't see each other. Callie had stopped trying.

"I know, Mija, and I am to blame for that." He sighed. The next thing he wanted to say is what made him nervous. "I've wanted to contact you and mend our relationship for many years after Alexa was born. She showed me family is more important than anything. Unfortunately, I let your mother persuade me otherwise."

"You treated me this way because of Mama?" Callie was mad again. She could have had the relationship she desperately wanted with her father this whole time. If she had her father to talk to, to get advice from, maybe she wouldn't have stayed with Erica for so long. Maybe she wouldn't have lost herself in a downward spiral after. "Daddy, do you have any idea what I've been through? I needed you!" Callie stood up to leave, but Arizona gently pulled her back down to her chair.

"Calliope, I know it probably doesn't mean anything now, but I am deeply sorry for any pain I have caused you. I still don't understand your lifestyle, but I can see that Arizona makes you happy. I would like to get to know her, if that is okay. I would like to get to know you again. You are my baby girl. I know it's been along time and I hope you will let me in. I truly regret letting your mother influence me. I know I shouldn't blame her. I am a grown man able to make my own decisions, but I love your mother. Im sorry to say that I thought she was right. When you love someone like that, you think they can do no wrong. Now that I've seen you two with my own eyes, I know she was wrong. I was wrong."

Callie was dumbfounded. She has never heard her father admit that he was wrong. That he had let someone else influence him. She wanted more than anything to let him in, but what if he just hurt her all over again? "If I forgive you now, how do I know you're not going to change your mind? What does Mama think about this?"

"I know it will take time to mend this. All I can do is ask that you trust me. I can promise you right now I am going to do everything I can to get you to trust me again. As for your mother, she'll have to accept this or I'll leave her."

"Daddy! You don't mean that!"

"I do. Your mother now is not the same woman I married. I can no longer stand by her as I watch her continue to tear this family apart. I am sorry I let her hurt you so badly, Mija. Arizona, I am sorry I let her say those things to you also. You are our guest and our daugter's partner. It should have never happened. Although, you seem like you could hold your own. There have been many times I wished I could has said those same things to my wife." He chuckled. He was very impressed by the blonde's gumption. "Please, Calliope. Just give me a chance to prove to you that I want to change."

Callie studied her father for a minute. He seemed sincere and he has never made a promise he didn't intend to keep. She turned her body to face Arizona. "What do you think?"

"Honey, it's completely up to you." Arizona hoped she let her father back in. She knew how important it was to her.

"I know, but it's the two of us now. If I let him into our lives, there's a chance he will hurt both of us this time."

"You don't know that he will."

"Yeah, but I don't know that he won't. He's already proved he will."

"Well, let him prove that he won't hurt you again."

Carlos listened as they spoke to each other as if he wasn't there. He said what he had to say and now his potential relationship with his youngest daughter was out of his hands. Arizona was obviously the most important person in Callie's life now and he understood why her opinion mattered. He remembered a time when he used to be the most important person in his daughter's life. That was a long time ago. Blue eyes slyly glanced his way, making him sit up straighter. He prayed she took his side and convinced his daughter to give him a chance. He smiled hopefully at the blonde and she gave him a slight nod in return.

"Calliope, if you really want my opinion, I think you should give your father a chance, even if he doesn't deserve it. If it works out, then great! If not, then you're better off knowing for sure and can move on with your life. If you give up now, then you'll always wonder what if."

Callie looked up at her nervous looking father. She has never seen that look on him before. He was always very sure of could tell that he really wanted her to say yes, which meant he really did want to try. Callie looked back at her girlfriend and nodded. "We do this on my terms. I'm not hiding myself anymore. Arizona will be allowed to come to family events, if she wants. She will be introduced as my girlfriend and not just my friend. This is your only chance. If you say anything to hurt either me or Arizona, then I am done."

"Of course, Mija. Anything you want."

Callie turned to look back at her father. "Then, yes."

"Yes?" Carlos smiled widely and genuinely for the first time in months.

Callie smiled back at him, "Yes."

Carlos stood up and walked around his desk. He hovered awkwardly by Callie's chair and looked down at her. She finally stood up and let her father wrap his arms around her. She started to cry. She had forgotten how good it felt to be in her father's arms. "I missed you, Daddy."

"I've miss you too." Carlos had his own tears in his eyes. "I'll fix this. I promise."

"I love you." Callie whispered.

"I love you too, Calliope." He pulled away and looked down at a smiling Arizona. "Besides, I'm okay with being the only man in your life who you love." He laughed and walked back around to his seat to sit back down. "Now, we have some other important matters to discuss. Arizona, if you're up to it, I'd like to discuss your brother."

Arizona took Callie's hand and nodded her head.

"Are you going to help her?" Callie asked. She still wasn't sure where they stood on that issue.

"Yes, I have already started." Carlos pulled out a large manilla envelope and set it between the two woman. "I had my men working on this all last night and today. They have already found some leads."

"What? How? I didn't give you any information." Callie watched Arizona stare blankly at the envelope in front of her.

"I have my ways, Calliope." Carlos said in a voice that Callie knew meant to not ask anymore questions. "Now, that envelope contains the photographs of the three suspects that I believe were the ones who were responsible for your brother's murder. I just need for you to identify them in the pictures and I'll take it from there."

Callie was shocked. She knew her dad would be able to find them, it was why she called him, but this was incredibly fast. "How is this possible? The police work on this for over a year and had no leads. I didn't even give you his name."

"You gave me enough. Some people owed me some favors. End of discussion, Calliope." He turned to Arizona. All the confidence she had showed him earlier was completely gone. "I can leave the room, if this will make this easier for you." Callie nodded at him and he quietly slipped out of his chair and out the door.

Arizona hadn't expected this tonight. It was too much too fast. If she opened that envelope and it did indeed hold the faces she saw in her nightmares, she didn't know how she would react. If it held the wrong people, then she would be both relieved and disappointed. She continued to stare at the envelope. She didn't know what to do or say.

"Mariposa, you dont have to do this right now. I know you weren't expecting it."

"No, I want to." Did she really? Was she mentally prepared for this? She picked up the envelope and handed it to Callie. "Can you do it?"

"Of course." Callie slowly undid the clasp on the back. She didn't know why, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She was terrified that whatever was in this envelope could break her girlfriend again. Callie slowly pulled out the three photographs and looked at them. They looked like they were taken at a distance as these three went about their everyday lives. She took in each man's appearance. There were no names or other information to go with the pictures. These could be the people that murdered Arizona's brother. It was completely surreal to Callie. She couldn't imagine what Arizona must be thinking. She glanced at the blonde, who now had her hands over her face to cover her eyes. Callie set the pictures down on the desk side by side and stood up to stand in front of Arizona, blocking the view of the photos. She pried the blonde's hands from her face. "The pictures are on the desk behind me. You can look at them now or we can get up and go."

"I want to look at them." She had to do it now.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. If I don't look at them now, I probably never will."

"Okay, I'm going to stay right here if you need me. Are you ready?" Callie saw Arizona nod and knelt down on her knees in front of the blonde, so she could see the desk over her shoulder. Arizona scooted forward in her chair to get a better look. Nothing happened for a minute. Callie watched as Arizona burst into tears. Callie wrapped her arms around the sobbing blonde and whispered soothing words into her ear. "Baby, it's going to be alright. I love you. We can do this together, okay?" She rubbed Arizona's back and hugged her tighter. "We'll get them. They're going to pay for this, okay?"

"I don't know if I can do this, Calliope."

"Yes you can. You're the strongest and bravest person I know. I'll be there with you through it all." Callie looked up behind Arizona and noticed her father had re-entered the room. Carlos looked at Callie with questioning eyes and she nodded her head. He didn't doubt that the men he found were in fact the right men. His people never got it wrong. Now that he got confirmation, he would take the next steps. Carlos gathered up the pictures and put them back into the envelope.

"I'll take care of it from here and let you know when you are needed." Carlos patted Arizona on the shoulder and left the room again to make some phone calls.

Callie released her hold on Arizona and stood them up. She wiped the tears from Arizona's face. "I'm going to take you home now." Arizona nodded and Callie led her out of the office. They managed to make it all the way to the front door before being stopped by frantic yelling and running. "Where are you going?!"

Callie sighed and knelt down down to meet the eyes of her niece. "Alexa, we have to go now. Auntie Zona isn't feeling well, so I'm going to take her home." She whispered. "We'll come play with you soon, I promise."

"Okay, I love you." Alexa hugged Callie and then walked over to Arizona. She pulled on the bottom of her dress to get Arizona to look down at her. "Auntie Zona, are you sad?"

Arizona bent over to pick the little girl up. "I'll be okay, baby girl. Don't worry."

"Do you want to borrow Mr. Binks? He always makes me feel better when I'm sad."

Arizona smiled, "No, that's okay. I have your Aunt Callie. She'll make me feel better."

"Okay. I love you, Aunt Zona."

Arizona squeezed Alexa in her arms and put her down. "I love you too. Be good for your mom and grandma. Okay?"

"I'm always good!" Alexa rolled her eyes. That made both Arizona and Callie laugh.

They retrieved Callie's car from the same kid who was waiting for them as before. "Should we just stop and get something to eat? It's getting pretty late." Callie asked after they were settled into the drive home.

"No, I just want to go home."

Callie glanced sideways at at Arizona. Her voice was distant and she was staring blankly out the window. "Okay, then I'll make you something at your house."

"Callie, I just want to be alone tonight."

"Oh, okay." Callie was disappointed. She wanted to be there for her girlfriend, but knew she needed to process stuff by herself. As much as it killed her, she would give the blonde her space.

"Are you okay?" Arizona asked quietly, still staring out the window.

"What do you mean?" Callie was confused. Arizona was the one who had just looked at the faces of her brother's killers.

Arizona turned in her seat to face Callie. "I mean about your dad. You must be feeling something."

Callie was so focused on Arizona she hadn't had time to process what else had happened tonight. "I guess I'm... cautiously optimistic. I'm not sure if I trust him yet."

"That's understandable." The rest of the drive was spent in silence. When they pulled up to the house, Callie jumped out to open the passenger door for Arizona. She took her hand and walked her to her door. "You call me if you need anything. Any time is okay. Promise?"

Arizona smiled and kissed Callie tenderly. She had no idea what she would do without her in her life. "I promise."

"Sweet dreams, Mariposa. Thank you for coming tonight."

"Sweet dreams, Calliope." After one last hug and kiss, she entered her house and headed straight for her room. Tonight ended up being way more emotionally exhausting than she had prepared for and she got ready for bed right away. Arizona slipped into her large cold bed and moved to the side Callie usually occupied. The pillow even still smelled like the brunette's shampoo. Arizona wished she hadn't sent her home, but wanted some time to think without her girlfriends presence. When she saw the three faces of the kids, now men, from the park that night, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Arizona had no idea how Carlos had found them so easily and wondered what he was going to do next. Whatever it was, she was sure it was going to move fast. She needed to mentally prepare herself for any possibility and came to the conclusion that she needed to call her therapist tomorrow and make sure not to shut Callie out. Arizona ended up being tired enough to fall into a deep dreamless sleep almost right away.

*DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG*

Arizona's eyes shot open at the excessive ringing of her doorbell. She checked her clock and saw that it was already nine thirty in the morning. She was glad it was Monday and that she didn't have to work. Arizona wasn't sure she could handle working after the night she had last night. She looked down and found Sonny sound asleep on her chest. "Sonny, you're getting way too big for this." She pushed the cat off of her and sat up. He looked at her with sad green eyes. "Don't look at me like that, it's not my fault you grew up so fast." She stroked his chin and smiled when he started to purr.

*DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG DING DONG*

"I guess we better go see who that is, before they break my doorbell." Arizona picked Sonny up and made her way downstairs. When she opened the door, she frowned in confusion.

"Auntie Zona! You have a kitty cat! Can I hold him?!" The visitor squealed.

"Alexa?" Arizona looked around behind the little girl and didn't see anyone with her. "How did you get here? How do you know where I live?"

"Auntie Callie and Auntie Cris brought me! They're taking me and you to the fair." Alexa jumped up and down in excitement.

"Is that so?"

"Auntie Cris said she'd buy me cotton candy and help me win a hugenormous stuffed animal. One as big as me! Maybe even bigger!"

"She did?" That didn't sound like the Cristina Yang Arizona knew.

"Yes! And we're going to go on all the rides! And pet the cows!" Alexa grabbed Arizona's hand. "Come on!"

"Alexa I'm not dressed to go to the fair." Arizona was not in the mood to be spending the day in a large crowd and getting sick off cotton candy and fast rides.

"Auntie Callie said you might say no, that's why she sent me to the door. I'm too cute to say no to." Alexa gave Arizona her best puppy dog eyes that always made her daddy give her extra ice cream. "Pleeeease Auntie Zona. It won't be as fun without you. I'll share my cotton candy with you."

Arizona looked down at the adorable little girl and sighed.

_I guess I'm going to the fair._

* * *

**Nic's Notes**:

I'm not sure if I like this chapter. Y'all will have to tell me if you like where this is going.

School starts up a week from today. I'm going to have to go back to actually sleeping and being productive again. Boo. Work has been getting busy too.

I'm going to be getting a new tattoo this week. You know, to "research" for this story.

I've been trying to post this story on Tumblr and I can't get the tags to work for me. It's driving me crazy! I've been on Tumblr for four years, I know it's not me. Is anyone else having that problem?

Do you guys know you're my dirty little secret?


	22. Chapter 20: We'll talk tomorrow

**I was going to split this into two chapters, but then I didn't. You're welcome.**

* * *

"Alexa, where are Callie and Cristina?" Arizona asked the little girl who was now sitting on her bedroom floor playing with Sonny.

"In the car."

"They've been out there this whole time?" Arizona had brought Alexa up to her room so she could get ready.

"Yeah." Alexa shrugged.

"Well, serves them right. Do you want breakfast?" Arizona was going to make them wait as long as possible.

Yes, please!"

"To the kitchen!" Arizona ran out her bedroom door. "Race you!"

Alexa got up and chased after her. She giggled when she saw Arizona slide down the bannister. "Hey that's cheating! I'm too small to do that!" She yelled as she jumped down the stairs.

"No it's not, it's called being creative." Arizona scooped Alexa up and flipped her over her shoulder. She tickled her behind her knees, making the little girl squeal in laughter.

"Auntie Zona! Stop!"

"What was that?"

"Please stop!"

Arizona stopped then tickling and rearranged her in her arms. "What do you want to eat? I have cereal, muffins, toast, and fruit."

"No bacon and eggs?"

"Trust me, you don't want me to make you bacon and eggs."

"Can I have cereal and muffins please?"

"You will have to help me make the muffins. Is that okay?" Arizona was glad she chose that. Now Callie and Cristina will have to wait even longer.

"Yay!" Alexa wiggled out of Arizona's arms and pulled her towards the kitchen. "Can we make chocolate chip?"

"Is there any other kind?" Arizona laughed at the little girl's excitement. When they got to the kitchen, Arizona turned on the oven to preheat and pulled down a large mixing bowl from the top of the fridge. "Alexa, can you get eggs, milk, butter out of the fridge and put them on the counter right here?"

"Okay!" Alexa was excited she was getting to help. With a little effort, she managed to open the door and find the eggs and butter. She put them on the counter and went back to the fridge. "Auntie Zona, I can't reach the milk." The tall side by side fridge made the top shelf out of her reach. She hated being little. Alexa felt herself being lifted up from behind to the right level. She grabbed the milk jug with two hands. "Thank you!"

Arizona put Alexa down on one of the barstools and went to get the rest of the ingredients. She pulled out flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and vegetable oil. She took two aprons off the hook in her pantry, making a mental note to go buy a child sized one for Alexa later. "Do you want pink or blue?" She asked holding the two aprons up for Alexa to see.

"Pink!" Alexa jumped off the stool and skipped to Arizona. "Is it going to fit?"

"Of course it will. Don't you trust me?" She waited for the little girl to nod her head before making the adjustments to make the apron fit. She folded the bottom four times and placed it around the tiny body. She used the ties and wrapped them around her a couple of times to make the apron stay on. She then knotted the strap that goes around the neck to make it smaller and slipped it over Alexa's head. She took a strap off an extra apron and tied it around the bib to make sure it stayed out of the way. "See? Perfect!" Arizona put her own apron on and lifted Alexa back on to the stool and had her sit on her knees to reach the counter better. Arizona stood behind Alexa and put her arms on either side of her to reach the items in front of them. This is exactly how her dad used to help her bake when she was Alexa's age. She had always wanted to do this with her own kids one day. "Okay, you're going to help me measure." Arizona set a small bowl on the scale and handed Alexa a spoon and the flour. "We're going to scoop flour into this bowl until this number says six. Can you do that?"

"I can do that!" Alexa bounced up and down on her knees, forgetting she had already scooped some flour onto her spoon. She flung the powdery substance all over her and Arizona. "Oh no, I'm sorry!" Alexa was scared she wouldn't get to help anymore since she had already made a mess.

"It's okay, baby girl. It's just flour." Arizona laughed. She thought about the many times she had done the same exact thing to her dad when she was little. "Let's keep moving or we're going to starve to death."

They continued to measure and mix together without many more mishaps. This was how Callie found them ten minutes later. She had been waiting in the car with an grumpy Cristina for the past 45 minutes. When Cristina fell asleep, she decided to go in search of her missing niece and girlfriend. She had entered the house fuming and followed the giggles she heard to the kitchen. All her anger quickly faded away when she saw her girlfriend and her niece covered in flour and stirring something in a giant bowl together. They looked adorable in their aprons and flour smudged on their cheeks and noses. Callie discreetly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. She put her phone away and entered the kitchen further.

Alexa and Arizona looked up when they felt someone enter the room. "Auntie Callie! We're making muffins! Do you want to help?"

"I see that Lex. Did you forget that we were waiting in the car for you?"

"Um... yeah." Alexa looked down at the floor. She got distracted by Sonny at first and then by the muffins. "I'm sorry."

"Did you tell Arizona we were waiting." Callie looked at her girlfriend who was avoiding eye contact with her.

"Yes, I did."

"Okay." Callie didn't want to start an argument, so she went to the pantry and pulled out a red apron. "What can I help with?" Arizona looked up from the bowl she was staring down at and locked eyes with Callie. She thought the brunette would be furious with her, but she only saw love looking back at her. She smiled when Callie smiled at her and moved around the counter to hug the brunette.

"You're not mad at me?" Arizona loved how she fit perfectly in Callie's arms. She nuzzled her nose into the space between Callie's shoulder and neck.

"Of course not." Callie inhaled the familiar scent of orange and vanilla from her girlfriend's hair. "How was last night?" She whispered so Alexa wouldn't hear.

"It was okay." Arizona whispered back. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Mariposa." She felt Arizona smile against her skin and she knew right then that they were okay for now. Today they would focus on having fun. Tomorrow they would figure the rest out. "So, what do we have to do to get these muffins finished. I'm hungry and we're going to need an offering to appease the sleeping beast in my car."

Arizona laughed and stepped out of their embrace. She saw the flour she had accidently got on Callie's shirt and neck. She used her hand to lightly brush it away, making Callie shudder from the touch. Arizona pulled her hand away and took a step back. She really wanted to kiss Callie in a less than innocent way right now and since that would not be happening with her niece sitting in the same room, she had to move farther away from her hot, hot girlfriend. Arizona cleared her throat from the saliva that had suddenly formed in her mouth. "Um, if you want to help Alexa stir in the chocolate chips, I'll put the liners in the pan."

Callie noticed the familiar look in Arizona's eyes and smirked. "Sure, I think Alexa and I can handle that." She rounded the counter and swept up her neice into a bear hug. "Hi to you, by the way."

"Hi!" Alexa giggled. "Put me down!" She started to laugh harder when Callie started to spin her around in circles. "Auntie Callie! I can't breath." Alexa gasped out. Callie stopped spinning her and kissed her hard on the cheek before placing her back on the stool.

"I sure do love you, kid. Even though you left me out in the car for almost an hour." Callie brushed the flour off her niece's face.

"I love you too!"

"Are you being a good helper?"

"Alexa has been a very good helper." Arizona smiled at how much love Callie obviously had for her niece. "We only had one flour accident."

"Yeah, I noticed." Callie picked up the large bag of chocolate chips. "How much do we put in?"

"You can put in however much you want. It doesn't matter too much at this point."

"What do you think Lex? How much chocolate do you want?"

"All of it!"

"Exactly what I was thinking. You are a child of my own heart." Callie ripped open the bag and dumped all the contents into the bowl before Arizona could stop her. She picked up the spoon and tried to mix the mixture, but chocolate chips kept falling over the sides and onto the counter and floor. She looked up to see a very amused looking Arizona smiling at her. "See, this is why I don't bake."

Arizona grabbed the bowl away and started to scoop out some of the excessive amount of chocolate chips. Once the mixture was under control she took a scoop and started to portion out the batter into the muffin tin. She quickly finished up and stuck them in the oven. "Okay, let's give those about twenty five minutes. You two feel free to clean up. I'm going to change."

"Yes ma'am!" Callie said with a wink. She moved around the counter and slapped Arizona on the butt as she walked away. "Alright, Lex. You heard the woman. Start cleaning!"

"She said both of us!"

"Yeah, yeah fine."

By the time Arizona came back into the kitchen, it was good as new and Alexa was also all cleaned up. "Hey you guys make a good team. Want to come work for me?"

"I do! I do!" Alexa jumped up and down with her hand in the air.

Arizona laughed, "Okay, we'll have to ask your mom." *Ding!* "Your muffins are done!" She pulled them out and set them on the rack to cool. "Let's let them set for a few minutes and take them on the road. We have a fair to get to."

"Are you sure you want to go babe?" Callie felt bad for springing it on her the way she did.

"Of course I want to. Alexa promised me cotton candy. I love cotton candy."

"Of course you do."

"What does that mean?"

"It means your sweet." Callie kissed her on the cheek.

"Such a smooth talker, aren't you?"

"Nope."

Arizona rolled her eyes and packed the muffins into a paper bag. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Alexa squealed and grabbed both women's hands and dragged them out the door. When they got to the car, they noticed Cristina was still sleeping in the back with her mouth hanging open. Alexa climbed in the back with her and poked her cheek. "Auntie Cris, are you dead?" Cristina only snorted in response.

"Give me one of those muffins." Callie held her hand out and Arizona handed her a still warm muffin. She broke it in half and shoved a piece in Cristina's mouth. "Wakey, wakey Crissy!" Callie laughed when Cristina sat straight up and hit her head on the roof of the car.

Cristina somehow managed to chew and swallow the piece of muffin in her mouth. "Torres, I'm going to kick your ass! You could have killed me."

"Bad word!" Alexa yelled. "You owe mommy a dollar."

"Whatever kid." Cristina reached into the front seat and snatched the bag of muffins out of Arizona's hands. "Mine."

"Mommy says to share." Alexa scolded.

"Yeah, your mom sure says a lot. You know what I say? I say your mom can shove it."

"Watch it Yang!" Callie warned from the front seat. Aria is never going to let her be responsible for her niece again if this keeps up.

"What? She started it."

"She's six, Cristina."

"I don't really believe that. Have you heard her talk? She's like a mini adult."

"Shove it, Yang!" Alexa said straight faced.

"Alexa!" Callie was definitely screwed.

"Sorry." Alexa huffed, crossed her arms, and slouched back in her seat. She was quickly learning that Cristina somehow always got her into trouble. After a minute of pouting she stole the bag from took a muffin. Callie watched in the rearview mirror as Cristina stuck her tongue out at Alexa and Alexa did the same back.

"Why is Cristina here anyway?" Arizona asked. She didn't seem like a fair type of person.

"Alexa has her wrapped around her finger."

"I can hear you." Cristina knew it was true. Alexa has had her wrapped around her finger since the moment she was born.

"So? It's true."

"Bite me."

"Watch it, Cris. Shut up and eat your muffin."

"Maybe you should let Roller Girl eat your muffin. Maybe you wouldn't be so damn bitchy."

"Child in the car!" Callie was already regretting letting her come and they haven't even arrived at the fairgrounds yet. "Lex, what do you want to do first?" She quickly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

Alexa perked up, "Rides!"

"Okay, rides it is!" Callie said as she pulled into the crowded parking lot and parked. When they got out, Alexa placed her self between Arizona and Callie and took both their hands. Arizona smiled over at Callie. She was glad she came. She thought this might be exactly what she needed to keep her mind off things. They walked through the gates and looked around at the sights. To the left was a huge ferris wheel and a stage. To the right was every other ride you could think of, with carnival games situated in between them. The smell of cotton candy, corn dogs, and popcorn made their stomachs rumble. Callie let go of Alexa's hand and went to buy everyone unlimited ride bracelets. "Here you go kids." She joked as she handed them out. "Which one first?"

"The tilt-a-whirl!" Alexa pointed at the spinning ride ahead of them. It was her favorite.

"Lead the way." Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and followed the little girl to the line. Cristina sulked behind them.

After waiting in line for a minute, Cristina stepped out of it. "I'm going to the Beer Pavilion. I'm going to need to pregame before getting on these death traps."

"Cris, it's not even noon yet." Callie wanted to go too, but knew she shouldn't since she had promised her sister she'd take care of her daughter.

"And?"

"Fine, go ahead. We'll be around this area for awhile." Cristina was killing the mood anyway. She watched as Cristina walked away.

"Calliope, it's our turn." Arizona pulled Callie up the ramp. They were able to fit all three of them in one car with Alexa in the middle. When the ride started to spin faster and faster, Callie wasn't sure if it was Alexa or Arizona who was screaming the most. It just made Callie's empty stomach lurch. She was starting to think she was getting to old for this. When the ride stopped she looked at Arizona and Alexa's beaming faces. Those faces totally made it worth it. "Okay, ladies. What next?"

"That one!" Alexa pointed to a giant circular roller coaster that spun upside down.

"Lex, I don't think you're tall enough for that one quite yet." Callie was relived. She wanted to do something much tamer.

Arizona noticed the look of disappointment on Alexa's face and took her hand. "How about the bumper cars? You can ride with me and we'll kick Aunt Callie's butt."

"Hey! It's your butts I'll be kicking!"

"Wanna bet?" Arizona challenged.

"Yeah, loser buys the cotton candy." Challenged accepted.

"Come on Lex, we have to go pick out the best car." Arizona led them to the short line and observed each car. "How about that yellow one?" Arizona noticed it moved a little faster than the others.

"No, yellow is ugly!"

Arizona leaned down to whisper in her ear, "It is, but that car is a magic car and we need it to win."

"We don't need magic to win."

"You're right. We're awesome. What car do you want?"

"I want the pretty purple one."

"I agree." When the ride operator opened the gate, Arizona pushed past everyone to get to the purple car. Callie took the green one right next to them. "Okay, whoever gets the most hits on the other wins."

"Sounds fair." The electric noise of the bumper cars came to life. "Bring it!" Both woman stepped on the gas and ran right into each other, causing all three to lurch forward in their seats and laugh. Callie tried to steer herself away so she could hit them again, but was sideswiped by a boy in a red car. "Hey, you punk! Get away."

"No! It's called bumper cars for a reason!" The kid shot back. He steered into Callie again and the same time someone hit her hard from behind. She turned to see who it was and found her two favorite girls smiling and waving at her. She growled and pushed the gas as far as it would go down, shooting her into an opening on the track. Callie steered away from the group so she could line herself up better for a good shot of the blonde's car. When she was turned around she looked around to find the purple car. It was nowhere. "What the hell? Where did they-" She was hit hard from behind again. She didn't need to look to know who it was. The loud giggle from her niece gave it away. Callie hit the gas and whipped around, hitting the front end of the purple car and sending it spinning in the other direction. She gassed it again and was able to get another hit from behind. Before she could get another, the same kid from before t-boned her left side, letting the blonde get away. Callie growled and flipped him off. She didn't care how old he was. Another hit on her right side and another shrill laugh from her niece caused her to put her hand down. Before she could retaliate, the cars died down signaling the end of the ride. "Damn it." She muttered to herself. She knew she owed her girls cotton candy now.

"Calliope, please tell me I didn't see you giving that kid the finger."

"He deserved it. He was a jerk."

"He's like twelve!" Arizona laughed. Callie had awful road rage, which apparently transferred to bumper cars too. She took Callie's hand and kissed her knuckles. "Come on, I want my cotton candy now."

"Yay!" Alexa shouted as she grabbed both their hands again and led them to sugary sweet goodness. "I want pink. No, blue! No, pink!"

"How about I get blue and you get pink and then we can say split it. That way we can have both." Arizona suggested.

Alexa's eyes went wide. "Auntie Zona, you're so smart!"

"And don't you forget it!" Arizona bounced on the balls of her feet when she saw Callie coming back with their treats. She split the two flavors into the two bags and handed one to Alexa. "Calliope, do you want some of mine?"

"No, I don't feel like rotting my teeth today, thanks though."

Arizona shoved a huge piece of the cotton candy in her mouth and smiled as it dissolved on her tongue. "I didn't want to share with you anyway. Can we go look at the animals? I heard there are baby chicks and piglets here!"

"Babies?! Please Auntie Callie, please!" Alexa shoved some more cotton candy in her mouth.

Callie looked at the two girls covered in cotton candy in front of her. They wore matching hopeful expressions. There was no way she'd ever be able to say no to these two. She just hoped they never figured that out. "Fine, come on."

"Yes!" Arizona reached down to give Alexa a sticky high five. "I think they're this way." She took Alexa's hand and started to walk down the path to the animal exhibits. Callie followed closely behind them and was soon joined by Cristina.

"Where did you come from?" Callie asked.

"Over there." Cristina pointed behind her. "Where are the sugar twins taking us?"

"They're cute, aren't they?"

Cristina observed the goofy smile on Callie's face and rolled her eyes. "Torres, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're all mushy and lovey dovey and it's sickening."

"Weren't you just telling me a few months ago I was mopey and boring and needed to get over myself?"

"Well, you still are boring." Cristina would take mushy and lovey dovey over mopey and sniveling any day. "No, seriously. Where are we going? Rides are back there."

"They wanted to see the animals."

"Piggy!" They heard Alexa shout and looked up to see her pulling Arizona towards a large enclosure that held a mama pig and her six piglets. "They are so cute! I want one. Aunt Callie, can I have one?"

"No they grow up to be big and stinky."

"I'd still love him! No matter what."

"You'll just have to eat him." Cristina pointed out.

"What? Why would I eat my piggy? I don't want to eat them."

"You like bacon, don't you?"

"Yeah. So?"

"They will grow up to be bacon." Cristina pointed to squealing piglets. "And ham. Do you like ham?"

Alexa looked up to Arizona and Callie with tears in her eyes. "What does she mean? She's lying, right?"

Callie scowled at Cristina. This was not the time or place to be teaching Alexa about the circle of life. Her neice was incredibly smart and she found it hard to believe she didn't know where her food came from already. Callie knelt down to Alexa's eye level. "Lex, I know you know where meat comes from. Why do you seem surprised?"

"I know hamburgers come from cows, chicken comes from chickens, and bacon comes from pigs. You don't eat them!"

Callie was confused, "Lex, how do you think we get hamburgers?"

"The cows make them in the field! And they make milk in the barns."

Callie finally got what Alexa was thinking. She didn't understand that the actual animal had to die. She thought that they just produced the food somehow. Callie looked up to see Arizona looking down at them sympathetically. The blonde gave Callie an encouraging smile and knelt down beside her. Callie wasn't sure if she should be the one to break the news to her niece. She thought it should be something her parents did.

Alexa looked between the two woman. She could sense something was wrong. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, baby girl. Do you want to go see the baby chicks now?" Arizona also felt like this was something her parents should be talking to her about. "They're really cute and fluffy! I bet they'll let you even hold one."

"Okay!" Arizona led her away to the chicken exhibit to find the newly hatched chicks. She prayed no more questions came up over there.

Callie stood up and sighed in relief. Luckily her niece had a short attention span. She needed to talk to Aria when she dropped Alexa off. She turned to Cristina, ready to slap her. "You bitch." Callie said quietly, aware of the young children around her.

"What? It's not like you can hide that from her forever." Cristina remembered when she found out from her cousin where meat came from. She had felt betrayed that the adults around her would let her eat animals without her knowing it. She had been a vegetarian ever since. "She needed to know."

"I know, Cris, but that was not the way to do it. I'll take care of it. Can you come look at the other animals with us without saying anything?"

"No, I'll meet you guys back at the rides." Cristina hated being around animals she knew wouldn't be living next week. Callie watched her walk away and sighed. She knew Cristina was right, but couldn't be the one who broke her little nieces heart. She went to find Arizona and Alexa.

"What was that all about?" Arizona asked out of earshot of the little girl, who had pushed her way to the front of the exhibit.

"It's just Cristina being Cristina." It was actually pretty out of character for Cristina to actually have some compassion for anything, especially animals. At least it was out of character to people who didn't know Cristina as well as Callie did.

Arizona could see it was something more, but decided to drop it. "You want to do some rides after this and the get some food?" She put the last bit of her cotton candy in her mouth and smiled in satisfaction.

Callie glance around and saw no one was really paying attention to them. Most were focused on the chirping baby chicks. She leaned down and kissed Arizona's cotton candy covered lips. "Mmm, that is good." She said when she pulled back and licked her own lips. "Lex! Come on, let's go do some more rides!"

"Can we do the haunted house?" Alexa asked when she made it back to her aunt.

"Why don't you ask Cristina to take you on it?" Callie hated the haunted house and her niece knew it.

"Why Cristina?" Arizona asked.

"Auntie Callie doesn't like the haunted house."

"Alexa!"

Arizona laughed, "Why? Are you scared?"

"No! I don't like things jumping out at me and touching me in the dark."

"Uh huh, sure. Will you ride with me? I'll protect you."

"Nope, not gonna happen."

"Please?" Arizona stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.

"Arizona, no. Please stop asking."

"Okay, fine. But I get to pick the next ride and you have to go on it." Arizona could tell Callie was getting irritated.

"That's fine. Let's go find Cris." They ended up finding her pretty easily. It's not hard to find a wild haired, tattooed woman, dressed all in black walking around by herself mixed into the brightly dressed families who filled the ride area. Callie looked pretty much the same as Cristina. Alexa and Arizona looked more like the other brightly dressed fair goers.

"Aunt Cris, will you take me on the haunted house ride?"

"Sure, kid." She squatted down so Alexa could hop on her back. "Let's go."

Arizona and Callie found a bench to wait on by the exit of the ride. "See, now this way I get you alone." Callie put her arm around the blonde's shoulders and pulled her closer. Arizona put her arm around Callie's back and settled her head on her shoulder. Callie kissed blonde hair and squeezed her tighter. "I love you, I haven't told you that today."

"I love you too." Arizona said quietly with a small smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life."

"Okay." They sat together people watching. They received some glares from passing parents, but Callie just glared right back. Most people ignored them though. Callie sat up straight when she heard familiar crying coming from the haunted house ride. Arizona watched in confusion as Callie left her alone on the bench and walked towards the exit of the ride. She decided she should probably follow. When she caught up with Callie, she saw that Cristina had joined her. Alexa had her arms wrapped around Cristina's neck and was crying hysterically.

"Didn't like the haunted house, huh?" Arizona asked.

"It was a little too loud. I think it hurt her ears." Cristina whispered. She continued to hug Alexa close, while Callie rubbed the little girls back. When Callie tried to take Alexa into her own arms, she held on to Cristina's neck tighter. Arizona smiled slightly. Callie had told her Alexa and Cristina always shared a weird bond, but never witnessed it before. It was refreshing to see another side of her girlfriend's roommate.

Arizona stepped behind Cristina to look at Alexa's face. She brushed her curly raven hair back and wiped off some of her tears. She couldn't help but think the little girl looked exactly like Callie when she cried. It made her heart ache a little. "How about we find something to eat and then we can get some ice cream."

Alexa snapped her eyes up at the words ice cream. "Okay." She sniffled. "I want a potato."

"A potato?"

"They have a baked potato booth over in the food court. She loves them." Callie was glad she didn't pick something with meat. She didn't really want to go there again.

"Alright. Potatoes it is!"

Alexa continued to cling on to Cristina until they had bought their food and found a table to sit at. She placed herself in Cristina's lap and they chatted about want games they wanted to play after they were done eating.

"I saw a blue unicorn that I want." Arizona said. She had seen it when they walked in and knew she had to have it. "Are you going to win it for me, Calliope?"

"Of course, babe." Arizona would get whatever she wanted. Callie didn't care if she had to pay off the game operator to get it.

"Auntie Cris, you promised me a giant stuffed animal!" Alexa wiggled her butt in Cristina's lap, haunted house incident completely forgotten. "I want a lion!"

"Did you see any lions?"

"No."

"What if they don't have a giant lion?"

"Then we'll have to find one!"

"Okay, I'll find you a lion." Cristina would give this little girl the world. She really hoped there was a lion. She cringed when the baby at the next table started screaming. "God, I hate children."

"You don't hate me do you?" Alexa looked up at her with her big brown sad eyes.

"Of course not. You're not a normal child. You're special."

Alexa grabbed Cristina's cheeks and put her head on her forehead. "I love you Auntie Cris."

"I love you too, kid." Cristina whispered. "But don't you tell anybody." She smiled at Alexa's giggle.

Arizona and Callie sat on the other side of the table and watched them. They were both thinking their friend and the little girl were incredibly cute together, but would never say it out loud. Cristina and the word cute in the same sentence together just seemed very wrong.

After they finished their lunch and had their ice cream cones, they made their way back to the midway. Callie was relieved to find that the game she needed to play to win Arizona's unicorn was a dart game. She was excellent at darts. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her girlfriend and six year old niece. All she had to do was pop five balloons. She ended up only needing four darts to do so, since she was able to pop two balloons with one. When the game attendant gave her the unicorn, she handed it to Arizona with a cocky smile.

"You are such a show off!" Arizona grabbed the unicorn and hugged it. "Thank you, Calliope!" She stood up on her toes and kissed the brunette chastely on the lips.

"You're welcome, babe." Callie smiled widely at the look of excitement on the blonde's face. It really didn't take much to please her. This was the opposite of the sad blonde she left on her doorstep last night. She wondered how long it would last. She took Arizona's hand and they went to help Cristina hunt down a lion.

Cristina wasn't having as much luck as Callie did. She carried Alexa on her shoulders up and down the midway looking at all the prizes. "Are you sure you don't want a stuffed bear or a giraffe? There are plenty of those."

"No! A lion!" Alexa looked up in awe at all the stuffed animals around them. She really wanted them all. She hit Cristina on the top of the head when she spotted something she couldn't live without. "Aunt Cris, look!"

"Ow! Kid, don't do that." Cristina looked up at what Alexa was pointing at. "Seriously?"

"I want that!"

"I thought you wanted a lion?"

"I changed my mind."

Cristina sighed, "Fine. You'll have to get down for this." A least they could stop searching for a non-existing lion. All she had to do was use a mallet to flip a chicken into one of the spinning buckets in front of them. It was a lot easier said than done.

"You're really bad at this." Alexa said after she watched nine rubber chickens fly over the buckets and onto the ground.

"You think you can do any better?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, here." Cristina handed the girl the mallet. "Have fun."

Alexa threw her arms up in celebration when her first chicken landed right in the bucket. "Take that chicken man!" She started to dance in place. "I won, I won!"

Cristina scowled down at her. "You were just lucky."

"No, I'm awesome!" Alexa said in an exact impression of Arizona.

"You're spending way too much time with Roller Girl and you're just as cocky as your aunt Callie."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind, get your prize and lets go find the others."

The game attendant handed Alexa her prize and she fell over. "Um, Auntie Cris, you're going to have to carry it'd for me. It's too big."

"Are you serious?" She saw the small girl struggling underneath her prize and picked them both up. "Fine, come on."

Callie snorted loudly when she saw Alexa standing next to what appeared to a giant walking stuffed banana with a happy face and a cowboy hat. She assumed Cristina was behind the banana. "What in the world? That doesn't look like a lion."

"It's a banana!"

"Yeah, I see that, Lex. You couldn't find a lion, so you went with a giant banana?" Why did this fair even offer stuffed bananas? "Did Cris win it for you?"

"No, she tried, but she sucked at it. So I won it myself!"

"Wow, good job!" Arizona high fived her.

"Auntie Callie, Aunt Cris said I was a cock just like you!" Alexa smiled proudly. She has always wanted to be just like her aunt.

"Excuse me?" Callie took the banana out of Cristina's arms and narrowed her eyes at her.

"I said she was cocky like you. I didn't call her a cock."

"What's a cock?" Alexa asked innocently.

"Um... It's a chicken." Arizona answered.

"So, we're chickens?"

"No, cocky just means we're confident in ourselves." Callie explained in the simplest terms.

"Oh." Alexa still wasn't getting it, but she didn't care. "Can we go on more rides?"

"Good idea." Callie handed the cowboy hat wearing banana back to Cristina. "I want to go on the dragon coaster."

"Yes!" Alexa and Arizona said at the same time. They took off running for the ride, leaving Callie with Cristina and the ridiculous banana. Callie rolled her eyes and went to get in line too. Since it was a kids coaster, it was tame enough to allow Alexa on. She sat in a car with Cristina and her new banana, while Callie and Arizona sat in the car in front of them.

When the ride got going, Callie turned around to find Alexa screaming gleefully and Crisitna desperately trying to keep the banana from flying away. Callie nudged the blonde next to her and pointed behind them. Arizona turned around and burst out laughing. "We have to take a picture!" She yelled over the noise of the coaster.

"Don't you dare!" Cristina yelled when she saw Arizona with her phone out obviously about to take a picture. It was too late, she had already taken the picture. Arizona pulled the picture up on her phone to show Callie. They both started to laugh hysterically when they saw it. Cristina's mouth was hanging open from yelling at the blonde, her hair was sticking up everywhere from the wind, and her arms were wrapped around the big banana. Alexa had her arms in the air with a giant smile on her face.

"I think we finally found our revenge." Callie said through her tears. "Oh my god, this is great."

Cristina refused to talk to either women after the ride. It didn't help that they would randomly start laughing at her whenever the mental image from the coaster popped into their heads. After waiting in line and riding five more rides, the little girl was starting to drag. It had been a long day already and her sugar high was starting to wear off. She grabbed Arizona's hand. "Auntie Zona, I'm tired."

Arizona picked up Alexa, who rested her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Do you want to go home baby girl?"

"No! I'm having fun." Alexa yawned and closed her eyes. "I love you guys." She said sleepily.

Callie checked her nieces face and noticed her slowed breathing. "I think she's out."

"Good, can I lose this banana now?" Cristina threw it on the grass in front of them.

"No! She would be devastated if she woke up and her banana was gone." Callie picked it up and shoved it back in Cristina's arms. "It's you're own fault, you know."

"I'm not the one who won it!"

"I know she didn't have her own money to pay for it."

"Can you say no to her?"

"Of course I can!"

"Yeah right. I'll believe it when I see it."

Arizona ignored the two women bickering and rocked Alexa back and forth. Her feelings for the little girl in her arms and her aunt were growing exponentially as the day went on. She looked around the grassy area they had stopped in and noticed families lounging around in the shade. "Hey Cristina, would you mind hanging out here with Alexa for a little bit? She can nap and you can take a break from carrying that banana around."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"I just want to walk around with Calliope."

"Sure, I'll watch the kid." Cristina threw the banana back on the ground and sat down next to it.

"Thanks, Cristina." Arizona placed Alexa on the ground, using the banana as a makeshift bed. It was the perfect size. "We'll come back in an hour?"

"Whatever." Crisitina rolled her eyes and laid on her back, using the tip of the banana as a pillow.

Arizona took Callie by the hand and led them down the path. "So, where are we going?" Callie asked.

"I don't know, I'm winging it." Arizona spotted photo booths ahead of them. "Oooo look!" Callie saw what she was looking at. She smiled and pulled the blonde towards the booths. She paid the attendant for a token and let her girlfriend look in every single booth until she found the perfect one. They all looked exactly the same to Callie, but she humored the blonde. Callie stepped into the booth and sat on the little stool. She patted her lap to get Arizona to sit on it. They closed the privacy curtain and checked the little mirror directly in front of them to make sure they we lined up right.

"Are you ready?" Callie asked before dropping the token in the slot.

"Yup!"

"Okay, I'm putting it in now. Pay attention. I want this to be good."

"That's what she said."

"Seriously?"

"Sorry, sometimes I can't help it."

Callie laughed and put the token in. She immediately turned Arizona's head and took her lips with her own. They both completely forgot what they were doing as soon as their lips met. They had been wanting to kiss each other like this all day, but hadn't found themselves completely alone until now. Well, as alone as you could be separated by only a thin cloth from the rest of the world. Arizona shifted herself in Callie's lap, so she was straddling her. The brunette wrapped her arms around the blonde and deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue past Arizona's sweet lips. The continued their heated kissing until someone knocked on the side of the booth. "Hey, your pictures are done!"

Arizona reluctantly ripped her lips away from Callie's. "Oops. Got carried away."

"Yeah." Both women were breathing heavily. Arizona kissed Callie one more time, before climbing off her lap. She opened the privacy curtain to see two teenagers, who she assumed were a couple,'waiting for their turn. The boy held their pictures up to them and smiled knowingly. His girlfriend smacked him hard on the arm and took the pictures away from him. She handed them to Callie and yanked the boy into the booth. Callie looked down at them and smirked. She handed them to Arizona. "Do you want to try again? Maybe face the camera this time?" Arizona looked at the photos and smiled. The first one was of her kissing Callie and the other three were of just her back.

"Well, the first one is cute."

"We're not cute, we're hot!"

"Totally hot." Arizona pushed Callie's body into the side of the photo booth and kissed her hard.

"Woah! Hot!" The same boy and girl had just stepped out of the booth to find them still there. The boy was gaping at them and the girl was burning holes into them with her eyes.

Arizona took Callie's hand and pulled her away. "Sorry!"

"See, I told you we were hot."

"I think we just made that kid's fantasies come to life. He'll probably dream about us tonight."

"Ew, gross! Why did you have to ruin it like that?" Callie said disgusted. She did not want to be some teenaged boys wet dream.

"My bad." Arizona chuckled. "Do you want to do some big kid rides with me?"

"Sure, but no screaming."

"I don't scream!"

"You screamed on the tilt-a-whirl and on the giant slide."

"I did?"

"Yes, come on, let's do the Fireball." After they rode the fast moving, spin upside down as fast as possible ride, both women were feeling sick to their stomach.

"I don't think I can do anymore of those." Callie admitted.

"Me either. Ferris wheel?"

"Definitely." They started to walk toward the ferris wheel, but were stopped by a beautiful red head running up to them.

"Hey, Callie!"

"Um, hey..." Callie couldn't remember the woman's name, but she knew why she knew her. She prayed Arizona wouldn't catch on. "How's it going?"

"Great!" The woman raked her eyes up and done Callie's body. "I was hoping you were free sometime to... you know." Her light green eyes stopped at Callie's chest. She obviously didn't notice or care that Callie was currently holding the hand of another woman. Arizona rolled her eyes. Was this woman for real? Who walks up to someone and propositions them for sex? Especially in the middle of the day at a family fair. Arizona looked at Callie's wide eyes and nudged her with her elbow to break her out of her stupor.

Callie shook her head in disbelieve and pulled Arizona closer to her. "This is my girlfriend, Arizona. Arizona this is..." Callie trailed off, hoping the woman would introduce herself.

"Girlfriend, huh? I never thought I'd see the day." Green eyes scrutinized Arizona. "Thats okay, I'll try again when it doesn't work out. You're worth the wait. See you later, Cal." Arizona and Callie gawked at the women as she walked away.

"Arizona, I..." Callie was feeling ashamed and incredibly embarrassed. She couldn't believe that had actually just happened. "I'm sorry."

"Calliope, it's okay. This is a small town, I'm surprised that hasn't happened sooner." Arizona watched the brunette's face turn a darker shade of red. "That came out wrong. I'm just saying that I know you're going to be running into other women you've been with. You were honest with me about that from the start and I trust you."

"Really?"

"Of course." Arizona stepped into Callie and took her hands. "So, ferris wheel?"

Callie searched Arizona's eyes for the truth. When she found it, she nodded. "Ferris wheel."

The line for the ferris wheel was long. Arizona pressed her back into Callie's front and the brunette wrapped her arms around her. They spent the wait swaying together to the fairs background music. Callie would sing along quietly in the blonde's ear on a few of the songs. Arizona closed her eyes and let Callie's arms and voice consume her. "Mariposa, it's our turn." Callie whispered after awhile. Arizona snapped her eyes open to find the ride operator staring at them expectantly. They climbed into the empty passenger car. When the big wheel started to move, Callie wrapped her arm around the smaller woman. There was nowhere else in the world she would rather be right now. The sun had started to go down and the many twinkling lights of the fair had been turned on. It made for an incredible view from the top of the ride. As the ride slowly rotated, Callie looked at Arizona's contemplative face and frowned. "What are you thinking about?" Blue eyes slowly looked up at her, but she didn't answer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I was just thinking about Tim."

"Oh? What about him?"

"He really hated the ferris wheel. He was afraid of heights and he always made me go on it alone."

"Well now you got me."

"And I've never been happier."

"Really?"

"Really." Arizona smiled, dimples on full display. Callie could see the truth in her shining blue eyes that were reflecting the bright lights around them.

Callie leaned down and placed a prolonged kiss on her forehead. "Me either."

They were both disappointed when the ride came to a stop and it was their turn to get off. "I guess we better go make sure Cristina isn't corrupting Alexa some more. Aria will kill me if she knew I left her alone with her again." They held hands and started to walk back to where they had left the girls.

"I hope that woman never has children of her own. I mean, yikes."

"She probably won't. She has always hated them and swore she would never have any of her own. When Alexa came along, I thought it would be a disaster, but they love each other a lot."

"Yeah, I can see that..." Arizona paused and thought for a minute. "Do you ever want to have your own kids? I mean you're so great with Alexa. I can tell now much you love her and she just adores you."

Callie eyed Arizona from the corner of her eyes, trying to see if she could tell where the blonde was going with this. "I used to want kids more than anything. I guess I still do. I had kind of lost hope though. Then Alexa was born and that kind of helped with the baby fever."

"Calliope, you're still incredibly young. How could you have lost hope already?"

"I don't know. I guess it was more that I was distracted by all the family drama. I wouldn't want to bring a child into that. Can you imagine how my mother would treat her lesbian daughter's born out of wedlock kid? No way, that's not fair to a child."

"You have to stop letting your mom control your decisions."

"I'm working on it. What about you? Do you want kids? Little Arizona's running around would be adorable."

"I think I would prefer little Calliopes." Arizona said without thinking, causing Callie to stop walking. "I mean, yes. I'd really like some of my own. Especially after spending time time with Alexa." They started walking again, both choosing to ignore her comment. "Like this morning, when she was helping me in the kitchen. It reminded me of doing the same thing with my dad. Spending time with my dad baking were some of the best moments of my life. I'd like to pass those memories on and create my own. You know?"

Callie just nodded. It all sounded wonderful to her. "Yeah, I get it." They continued their walk in silence. Neither women knew what the conversation they just had meant. At least they seemed it be on the same page about what they wanted in the future. They both hoped it was a future they had together. They found Cristina, Alexa, and the banana right where they left them. Alexa was munching on some tacos. "Hey, Lex. Feeling better?"

"Yeah! Can we do more rides?"

"Wouldn't you rather wait and watch the fireworks?"

"Fireworks?!" Alexa jumped up excitedly. "I love fireworks!"

Callie laughed, "I know! Me too. We have to go claim the best spot." She led the group over to the field they shoot the fireworks by. She remembered doing this as a kid and was happy to see no one was in her old spot. "Come on guys, spread out. We dont want anyone invading our space." She checked her watched and saw there were only twenty minutes left until the show. Callie squirmed in her seat, "Almost time!"

Arizona smiled at how animated Callie was because of the fireworks. The brunette usually kept her tough and cool exterior even when Arizona knew she was excited about something. For some reason this was different. She crawled over to where Callie was sitting cross legged on the ground. She pecked her on the lips and settled herself facing the sky in between Callie's now spread out legs. Callie rested her hands on Arizona's shoulders, delicately running her fingers across the blonde's naked collar bone. The feeling making Arizona's heart rate speed up. Alexa rested her head on Arizona's stomach. "How much longer?"

"Ten minutes, Lex."

"This is the longest wait of my life!"

"It will be worth it, I promise." Callie believed there was no such thing as a bad firework show. Before they knew it the loud boom of the first shot rang out around them. Alexa yelped in surprise and covered her ears. Five more booms sounded in rapid succession and the sky was soon lit up in dazzling greens, reds, and yellows.

"Auntie Callie look!" Alexa yelled out over more loud booms. "It's so pretty!" Callie looked down at her nieces beaming face. The colors of the fireworks in the sky reflected off her skin. Callie smiled and looked back to the sky. Arizona sat up so she could fit into Callie's arms better. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. They were sitting close enough to where they set the fireworks off, they could smell the sulfur. When the noise of several more fireworks rang out, signaling the grand finale, Arizona opened her eyes again. The colors in the sky were so bright, they had to squint to look at them. Arizona felt Callie squeeze her tighter as the last of the fireworks lit up the night sky. When they were finished no one said anything as they watched the smoke linger in the air.

Callie kissed the top of Arizona's head. "Is everyone ready to go?" She put her mouth close to Arizona's ear and whispered. "I want to take you home now."

Arizona recognized the want in Callie's husky voice and jumped up. "I'm ready!" She pulled Alexa to her feet and waited for Callie to stand up. She took both of them by the hand and started walking with the crowd toward the exit, leaving Cristina still sitting on the ground.

"Can I sleep over at your house Auntie Zona?"

"I'm sorry, Lex. I promised your mom I'd take you home tonight." Callie said. "She misses you."

"Do you get to sleep over?"

Callie looked at Arizona who had a look in her intense blue eyes that suggested that the brunette would definitely be staying over, but she wasn't sure how much sleeping they'd be doing. "Yes, but I'm a grown up and I don't have my mom waiting for me."

"I wish I was a grown up." Alexa pouted.

"Some day you will be, but try not to grow up so fast."

As soon as they got into the car, Alexa fell fast asleep hugging her banana. When they got to Aria's Callie carried the sleeping girl to the door. Arizona followed her with the banana. Aria opened the door as they walked up. "What is that?"

"It's your daughter. She wanted it." Callie said as Arizona set the stuffed banana inside the door.

"Did you guys have fun?" Aria took her daughter from Callie's arms. "It looks like she did. She's completely out."

Callie used her now free hands to intertwine her fingers with her girlfriends. "Yeah it was fun. You might want to have the where does meat come from talk with her tomorrow. We had a close call today with some piglets."

Aria sighed. She knew she really needed to set Alexa straight. Her daughter has misunderstood her the last time she tried and she never fixed it. "I know. Maybe Dana can do it."

"We'll let you put her to bed now. Goodnight, Aria."

"Good night hermanita. Good night Arizona. Thanks for taking Alexa out today."

"Goodnight, Aria." Arizona waved over her shoulder as they walked away. Aria smiled as she watched her sister wrap her arm around the shorter woman's shoulders and Arizona wrap her arm around Callie's lower back. Her sister deserved to have someone who loved her more than anyone else in the world. She kissed her sleeping daughters head and thanked God for bringing Arizona into their lives.

Callie still had to go by her apartment to drop Cristina off. At least she didn't have to take the time to go up and pack. She has started leaving clothes at Arizona's a couple of months ago. "Bye, Cris."

"You guys aren't coming up?" She saw the look that passed between them. "Oh. Well have fun with that." Cristina has been in the next room from them many times and was grateful when they were actually considerate enough to spend the night at Arizona's. She liked her sleep.

Callie pulled up to Arizona's dark house and grabbed the unicorn from the back seat. "Did you name him yet?" She asked as she waited for Arizona to unlock the door.

"Not yet. I have to spend some time with him first to get to know him better."

Callie could tell by the playful glint in the blonde's eyes that she was kidding. "Would you like me to leave, so you can have some quality time with your unicorn?"

Arizona stepped forward and ran her fingers through raven hair. She used both of her hands to hold Callie's head in place and placed a sensuous kiss on the brunette's moist lips. She slowly moved her lips over Callie's and pulled away when she she felt the brunette's tongue swipe across her bottom lip. "No, I want you to stay. I would very much like some quality time with you." She looked at Callie hungrily. "Preferably naked." She took Callie's lips with hers once again.

"Arizona." Callie moaned against the blonde's lips. "Don't you think we should talk about last night?"

"Seriously? You want to do this right now?"

"You need to talk about it."

"And you need to talk about what happened with your parents. Do you want to do that now too?"

"No..."

"Can we promise to talk about it tomorrow? We had a really good day and I don't want to ruin it." Arizona fingered the bottom of Callie's shirt. "Please? I promise I'm okay."

"We'll talk tomorrow?" Callie sighed as Arizona started to nibble her way up her neck. "You're mean."

"Yes. Tomorrow." Arizona inhaled sharply when Callie pushed her back against the front door in a passion filled kiss. The blonde had to use all the strength she could muster to push back against the aggressive Latina and flipped them around so she had Callie pinned against the door. "No, you're mine tonight." Arizona outlined the brunette's ear with her tongue. She felt Callie tremble against her and smirked. She took a step back and started to climb the stairs. Callie was confused by the sudden lose of warmth against her and opened her eyes to see Arizona was already halfway up the stairs. The blonde turned around, "You coming?"

Callie nodded her head dumbly and tried to steady her legs enough to make it up the stairs. When she finally made it to the top, she saw that Arizona had disappeared. She figured she was in her bedroom and made her way down the hall. Callie entered the bedroom and looked around. "Arizona?" She felt her girlfriend step behind her and tried to turn around, but the blonde held her in place. Nimble hands began to unbuckle her belt and unbottom her pants. The hands slowly pulled her pants and already wet underwear down at the same time. She felt hot lips kissing down the back of her legs. Callie kicked away her pants and tried to turn around again, but a hard slap on her ass stopped her. "Arizo-" She was silenced by a hand over her mouth. Callie gave in and let Arizona take complete control. Something she rarely does. Her shirt and bra where removed and discarded on the floor. She moaned when the blonde pressed her already naked body against her from behind. Callie could feel her girlfriend's hard nipples pressing into her back.

Arizona ran her hands all over the brunette's smooth skin. She could feel the goosebumps forming under her touch. She cupped perfect breasts in her hands and pressed them together as she pinched her nipples between her thumb and finger. Callie leaned her head back and rested it on Arizona's shoulder. She rolled her head to the side, giving the blonde easy access to her neck and shoulder. The brunette's knees almost gave out at the combined feeling of small bites across her neck and the fingers pinching her nipples. "Mmmm... Mariposa, you feel amazing."

Arizona smiled to herself. She loved making her girlfriend putty in her hands. She slid her left hand down Callie's stomach and cupped her mound, moving her middle finger down lower. "Baby, you're so wet."

"You do this to me." Callie gasped when Arizona thrust her pelvis, pushing her forward onto the bed. Callie managed to catch herself with her arms.

"Get on your knees." Arizona demanded. She smirked at how quickly Callie obeyed. The blonde licked her lips at the glorious sight of Callie's ass in the air. She ran her fingers along the brunette's wet and waiting lips. Callie arms collapsed under her and she moaned into her pillow. She tried to push her lower half into Arizona's touch. She needed more. She yelped when the blonde slapped her ass hard again. Callie felt a warm tongue replace the fingers that were exploring her slit a moment ago.

Arizona got on her knees and used her hands to spread Callie's lips open wider. She needed to taste more. She used her tongue to enter the brunette as far as she could and then pulled out. She repeated her movements a few more times before running her tongue down to Callie's erect clit. She sucked once and moved back to her opening, diving back in vigorously. The brunette bucked against her face and she wrapped her hands around her muscular thighs to keep her in place. Arizona slid her left hand under Callie's body to access her clit from a better angle. She sucked and nibbled around Callie's entrance before thrusting her tongue in at the same time she started to circle the brunette's clit.

Callie moaned loudly into the pillow. She struggled to lift herself back up on her hands, so she could breath. Once she was back on her hands and knees, she felt a hand cup her breast underneath her and her nipple being pinched roughly. As good as what her girlfriend was currently doing, she needed to feel more. "Arizona!"

"Hmmmm?" Arizona hummed against Callie, making the brunette almost forget what she was going to say.

"Arizona. More." Callie breathed out. "Please more."

Arizona stood back up behind her and used her fingers to enter Callie fully. She backed her next thrust up with her pelvis, causing Callie to grunt and her arms to collapse under her again. The brunette managed to pick herself up and she locked her elbows. Arizona continued to thrust into her girlfriend. She was enjoying the view and the noises Callie was making. She leaned to her right slightly to get a better look at the brunette's bouncing breasts. When she felt like Callie had had enough, she wrapped her free arm around the front of Callie's thigh and started to rub her clit at the same time she curled her fingers down on her other hand. Callie's grunts grew louder as she felt the brunette's walls start to clench around her fingers. "That's right, babe, come for me."

"Don't..." Callie took a deep breath. "Don't stop, please don't stop." She fell back down to her elbows and bit down on the pillow in front of her as her orgasm ripped threw her body. "Jesus Mariposa." Callie gasped out as her body shook in an aftershock. She fell onto her side when Arizona removed her fingers from inside of her. She closed her eyes and hummed in pleasure as Arizona came up beside her and covered her face in small kisses. Callie could smell herself on the blonde's face and blindly reached out to grab the back of her head. When she found it, she pulled her in for a deep kiss. Arizona moaned when Callie dipped her tongue into her mouth.

"Have I ever told you how hot it is when you do that?" Arizona asked. "I've never found another women who enjoys themselves as much as me." Lizzy had though she was disgusting, which kind of put a damper on their sex life.

Callie opened one eye to look at Arizona and half smiled. "I know what you mean." She was constantly surprised by how sexually compatible they were. She closed her eye again and tried to move her arms to hug her girlfriend. They felt like jello. "As soon as my arms are working again, I'm going to rock your world." Callie yawned.

Arizona laughed and took Callie into her arms. "It's okay baby, go to sleep."

"But I don't wanna." Callie pouted and then yawned again. Okay, maybe she was really tired. "I want to do you good."

"You can do me good tomorrow." Arizona smiled and hugged her closer.

"Okay. Tomorrow." Callie said sleepily. "Love you."

"I love you too." Arizona kissed Callie's forhead. "Sweet dreams, Calliope."

_Sweet dreams, Mariposa_.

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

You guys need to have some faith in me. There's a perfectly good explanation on how Carlos was able to locate Tim's murderers so easily. Well, I'm not sure how good it is, but there is definitely an explanation. Patience.

Umm...

I'm too tired to remember what else I wanted to put here. It's like 330am where I am. It's had to proofread at this time of morning, so I'm sorry if I messed something up. I'm sure it's about the same amount of screw ups as other chapters. I also found it hard to write decent sexy times at this time for some reason. Haha. Oh well

Good night people!


	23. Chapter 21: This is really happening?

**I have a very important question at the end of this chapter y'all need to answer. **

**I have absolutely no idea how the law or criminal investigations work and I'm way too lazy to research it. This is how it works in Nicoleland. Nicoleland is a much better place to live anyway. It's pretty and it's Autumn all year round. There is also cake, Jack Daniels, Thai food, and Chipotle at every corner. There are less men stinking up the place too.  
**

**This is another loooong one, because I really want to wrap this part of their lives up. Next chapter it will be over with. I'm ready to go back to fluff and mild drama. I feel like I've said that before. I don't know what happened. **

**I got really carried away with the dialogue in this one. Oops. **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Callie woke up alone... again. Well, she wasn't completely alone. She had Sonny. "As cute as you are, you're no Arizona." She reached her hand out to scratch his chin, but the cat yawned and rolled away from her. "Well, screw you too." Callie groaned when her phone started to ring. She lifted her head and looked around. The ringing was coming from her pants that were balled up on the floor on the other side of the room. "Shiiiit." She decided to ignore it and call whoever it was back later. It started to ring again as soon as the first rings ended. "Fuck. Fine!" Callie rolled off the bed and reached out across the floor. Her arms were still sore from last night. She was able to stretch out her fingers enough to grab the bottom of one of the pant legs and dragged then close enough to grab her phone. She checked the caller id and saw it was her sister. Callie sat up and leaned back against the bed before hitting answer.

"Hola Aria. What's up?"

"Calliope Torres!" _Oh crap, I'm in trouble._ Her sister never called her Calliope. "Care to explain to me why my daughter has her arms covered in marker and when I told her she had to wash it off, she told me to shove it!?"

"Umm..."

"And THEN when I asked her why she drew on herself she said it was because she was a cock!"

"She meant she was trying to be like me... I'm sorry, Aria I-"

"No! I'm not done!"

Callie sighed and rested her head on the bed behind her. This could not be good.

"When I yelled at her for telling me to 'shove it' she told me to eat a muffin so I'd stop being bitchy! I don't even know what that means!" Aria was livid. "I let my perfect little daughter spend one day with you and she's using horrible words against me!"

Callie laughed out loud before she could stop herself. Aria was being kind of bitchy.

"This is not funny Calliope! She is six years old! She should never have even heard these words."

"Aria..." Callie had no idea how to fix this, other than killing Cristina. "I should have never let Cristina go. I'll make sure they won't spend anymore time together."

"Are you kidding me? Alexa loves Cristina. She'd be devastated. Can't you just get her to behave around my daughter?"

"I've tried! It's impossible. You've met her."

"Try harder!"

"Okay, fine. I'll talk to her and I'll have a talk with Alexa about what is appropriate." Callie hoped the threat of never seeing Alexa again would make Cristina try to behave herself better. There was a noise in her ear telling her she had another call. She looked to see that it was Arizona. "Look, Aria I have to go. I'll fix this."

"You better!" Aria hung up before Callie could say bye. She hit the button to switch calls.

"Hey babe!"

"Hi Calliope, did I wake you?" Arizona's voice didn't have her usual morning perkiness to it.

"No, I already got reamed by Aria this morning."

"What happened?"

"Cristina happened."

"Ah..."

"Are you okay?" Callie could sense something was off.

"Yeah," Arizona put her head down in her free hand and smiled. "I just got off the phone with Dr. Webber."

"Oh? How did that go?" Callie knew from previous talks that Dr. Webber was Arizona's therapist in New York.

"It went pretty well, actually."

"You seem surprised."

"I guess I was expecting a little more guidance, but it turned out I didn't really need it."

"What did she say?"

"Well I told her about what your dad did and she asked how I was doing with that." Arizona paused.

"How are you doing with it?" Callie asked softly. She knew it was going to be one of those conversations. Sometimes her girlfriend spoke freely, but most of the time Callie had to milk every piece of information out of her. Callie learned early on in their relationship when she could push harder and when she should back off. "Arizona?"

"Are you busy right now?"

"No. Do you want me to come to the bakery?"

"I'd like to see you."

"I'll be there in twenty. Te amo, Mariposa."

"I love you too." Arizona hung up and Callie jumped up to quickly get ready.

Seventeen minutes later Callie was walking into Awesome Bakery. "Hey Apes, is Arizona in her office?"

"Yeah, she's been locked in there for a couple of hours now."

"Thanks." Callie walked to the back and knocked on the office door. "Arizona, it's me." She waited a minute before the door was thrown open and her girlfriend's arms were wrapped around her neck. She pushed the blonde backwards so she could shut the door behind them and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Hey, how are you?"

"Good, I'm good." Arizona released her arms from the brunette's neck. "I'm sorry I just really wanted a hug." She went to sit back in her chair. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm okay." Callie sat in one of the other chairs in the room. They watched each other, waiting to see who would talk first. Callie was wearing one of Arizona's favorite shirts on her. It hung off one shoulder, exposing the feathers tattooed on her chest.

"Calliope, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why did you get a tattoo for your parents? I mean it seems odd, considering..."

"They're still my parents. They gave me my life. I do love them. Probably not the same way you love your parents. And it was awhile ago, before everything got really bad. I don't regret it though. Things change. I mean, look at my father."

Arizona continued to stare at the feathers. It was making Callie nervous. She sat up straighter in her chair and readjusted her shirt, so it covered her tattoo up. "Don't cover them up. They're beautiful. You should never have to hide them."

"You shouldn't hide yours either, but you do."

"That's different."

"Arizona, what did Dr. Webber say?" Arizona finally stopped staring at her chest and locked eyes with Callie's.

"She said I needed to talk to you."

"I'm right here."

"She said that I've come a long way since the last time she talked to me. That I'm more willing to volunteer information than I used to and I seem more positive about life, when before I was indifferent. I didn't know how to be me without my brother."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"About five months ago." Arizona smiled.

"Oh..." Callie did a mental calculation. Arizona had entered her life about four and a half months ago. She couldn't help but hope that she had played a part in that.

"She asked me how I felt about seeing those pictures. About the possibility of seeing those men in person again." Arizona inhaled deeply and blew out her breath slowly. "When I first looked at them, the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn't breath. I was terrified. Like they would jump out and get me. After the initial shock, I felt numb. I just didn't want to think about it. So, I stuffed it away and had an amazing day with you yesterday. After you fell asleep last night, I had time to think." Arizona stood up and moved her chair closer to Callie. Brown eyes watched her closely. When she sat back down she took Callie's hand and set it in her lap. "Calliope, you're really beautiful when you sleep. Well, you're beautiful all the time, but you were extra beautiful last night. Maybe it was the way you looked in my arms or maybe it was because I was finally feeling like me again. I realized I'm ready for this. I'm not scared. If I can help get those men off the street, so they don't hurt anyone ever again, then it's worth it to me to face them." Arizona paused, she was nervous about the next thing she had to say. She didn't want to seem too dependent on the brunette. Dr. Webber told her she needed to say it though. To let Callie know up front what Arizona expected of her. She stared down at their linked hands as she spoke. "Calliope, when I held you in my arms last night, I knew I could do it. That I could do anything with you by my side. So... I'm hoping you'll be there with me every step of the way. I have no idea what is going to happen and it's not going to be easy. I need you to promise me right now that you'll help me through it all and not give up no matter how much I try to push you away. Because I have a tendency to shut down and bail. I'm hoping since I am aware of that now, that I won't do it. I need you to promise me, just in case. To point it out to me if I start to pull away. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I needed to let you know now, in case you wanted to end this right now." Arizona stopped talking and continued to stare at their hands. Their two different skin tones looked good together. "Um... Speech is over." She said when Callie didn't say anything.

Callie reached out her free hand and lifted Arizona's chin to get her to look at her. The blonde avoided her eyes and focused on the wall behind her. "Arizona, are you insane?" Confused blue eyes finally focused on loving brown ones. "Did you really think I would ever want to end this just because it MIGHT get hard? Did you think that I wasn't already planning on being there for you through everything? I was even going to go if you insisted I didn't."

"I didn't want to assume..."

"Assume away, baby. You're not going to be able to get rid of me that easily. I promise."

"I didn't want to seem all needy and clingy."

"Never." Callie squeezed Arizona's hand. This was so not how she thought this conversation was going to go. She had come prepared to fight for Arizona. She sat back in her chair and blew out a breath in relief.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just that this is not how I thought this would go."

"Me either. It was a completely different story yesterday morning, but I can't live my life like that anymore. I'm ready to be me again. Actually I do feel like me again. Not completely the old me, that will probably never happen. But I'm liking this mix of the old and new me." Arizona smiled excitedly and jumped up. Callie watched as she went to her bag and pulled out a large rolled up piece up paper. The blonde walked over to Callie and sat right in her lap. She unrolled the paper and Callie recognized it immediately as the art Tim did for Arizona's tattoo. "When this is all over. When those men are behind bars, because I won't have it end in any other way, I want you to finish this. I know I asked you before, but now I have an actual timeline on when I want it done."

Callie examined the art closely. She was worried she wouldn't be able to do it justice. "Arizona..."

"No, I know what you're thinking. I know you can do this. I believe in you 110%."

"You do?"

"Of course, Calliope. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't. It's way too important to me." Arizona set the drawing on her desk behind her and wrapped her arms around Callie's neck. She kissed Callie's lips softy and nuzzled her cheek. "Please say yes."

"You have to be completely sure."

"I am. I promise."

Callie gave Arizona an Eskimo kiss, making the blonde giggle. "Then yes, I'd be honored to." The smile that lit up Arizona's face made Callie's heart smile along with her. They sat in a comfortable silence. Callie fingered the embroidery of the blonde's name on Arizona's jacket. "I've never heard of anyone named Arizona before."

"I've never heard of another Calliope."

"Touché." Callie laughed. "Where did it come from."

"My mom closed her eyes and threw a dart at a map."

Callie frowned, "Please tell me you're lying."

"I'm not. You've met my mother. Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Good point."

"She wanted something different. About two months before I was born, her and my dad were goofing around in my dad's den. She threw the dart and ended up loving the idea of the name. The dart is still in the map where it landed. They haven't touched it in 27 years. I'll show it to you when we visit."

Callie smiled at the thought of going to New York with Arizona to visit her parents. Her face fell when she remembered the reason why they would have to go out there.

"Have you heard from your dad?" Arizona asked as if she could read Callie's mind.

"No, not yet. It's probably too soon."

"Do you know what he's doing?"

"I really have no idea. I'm guessing he has the best lawyers in the country trying to build a case or gathering evidence or something. I don't know how it all works."

"Calliope my parents and I can't afford that."

"It's taken care of."

"Callie..." Arizona shifted uncomfortably in the brunette's lap. "I can't accept that. It sounds like a lot."

"Yes you can. Don't worry, I have a lot." Callie could see the uncertainty in Arizona's eyes. "Please let me do this for you."

"My parents would never accept it." Arizona gasped. "Oh my god! I have to tell my parents about what's happening. And Teddy."

"Maybe wait until we know more details and go from there? You can tell your parents you're paying for it. They'll never know how much it actually costs."

"I can't do that."

"How about you chip in?" Callie had no intention of actually taking her money.

"I don't know. I don't think is be able to help even make a dent."

"I'm going to help you no matter what, so you might as well give in now." Callie watched Arizona chew on her bottom lip, deep in thought. "Please? It would mean a lot to me. I need to use my money for good."

Arizona could see the sincerity in Callie's eyes. "Okay, but I'm helping too."

"Of course." Callie hugged the blonde in her arms. "I love you."

"I love you too. More than I ever thought possible." Arizona leaned down to kiss Callie, sighing in content against her lips. They both jumped at a loud knock on the door.

"Boss!" Alex yelled through the door. "There is an old dude up front looking for you."

Arizona frowned. She didn't know of any old dudes who would be looking for her. "Who is it? I'm kind of busy."

"I don't know. I didn't ask."

"Well go find out!" Arizona went back to kissing her girlfriend. They jumped again when there was another loud knock. "What, Karev?!"

"He says his name is Torres." Callie and Arizona looked at each with their mouths hanging open. Why was Callie's dad in her bakery? Arizona jumped off Callie's lap and moved her chair back to her desk.

"Um, go ahead and let him back here."

"Hey, is he related to your Torres? He looks mean."

"Alex! Just go get him and behave." _Useless!_

"Fine."

"Arizona, he can't come back here. I'm not dressed right." Callie was wearing the worst possible shirt to see her father in.

"Don't be ridiculous, Calliope! He needs to see the real you eventually. You're not leaving me here alone with him." Arizona hissed. A lighter tap sounded on the door. Both woman stared at it wide eyed, neither made a move to answer it.

"Ms. Robbins?" It was definitely Callie's father. They had been hoping Alex somehow got it wrong.

Finally Callie stood up and reached for the doorknob. It was now or never. "Hi, Daddy." She said sheepishly when she opened the door.

"Calliope? This is a pleasant surprise. I went next door first to find you, but Mark didn't know where you were."

"You went to my shop?" Callie's father had never visited her there before. She couldn't even picture him standing anywhere near a tattoo shop.

"I did. I haven't seen Mark in awhile. It was good to catch up. He seems to be doing well. It's a very... interesting place of business." Carlos looked his daughter up and down. He knew she had tattoos, but had never seen them. He was overwhelmed at the amount there were.

Callie crossed her arms uncomfortably. She could see the way her father was looking at her. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming. I would have brought a sweater."

"Don't be silly, Mija. This is your territory, you don't have to hide from me." He stepped forward awkwardly. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to hug his daughter freely yet. He smiled when Callie stepped forward and hugged him. He would never get over how good it felt to be hugging his baby girl again.

"So, what are you here for?" Callie asked when she pulled away.

Carlos saw the light reflect off something in Callie's mouth when she talked. "Calliope, what is that in your mouth?"

Callie closed her lips together tightly and looked at Arizona. The blonde looked very amused. "Um, it's a tongue ring." She mumbled.

"A what?"

"A tongue ring." Callie blushed.

"You still have that thing?" He remembered when she came home with it when she was fifteen. Callie hadn't known he noticed it. He noticed everything. He had been furious that she did it, but never said anything. It was just easier that way.

"You knew about it?" Callie wondered what else her knew about her life back then. Probably a hell of a lot more than what he knew about her life now, since that was pretty much nothing.

"Of course. A father knows everything about his daughter." He used to anyway. He didn't know the adult version of his little girl yet. He was hoping to soon though. Carlos looked to the blonde siting behind a modest desk that was covered in invoices. "Arizona, it's good to see you. I'm sorry to be dropping by unexpectedly like this, but I was in town and thought you would like an update on what is happening."

"It's okay, Mr. Torres. It's good to see you too." Arizona gestured towards one of the empty seats in front of her desk. "Please, have a seat." Carlos sat down and Callie sat in the seat next to him

"Ms. Robbins the police are currently looking over the testimonies I have gathered and are looking to make arrests as soon as this evening."

"Testimonies?"

"Yes, when Calliope called me the other night, I immediately contacted the best private investigator I know in New York. Calliope had told me five years ago a man was murdered in a park and his sister was the only witness. With that information, the PI was able to narrow it down to a Timothy Robbins. It took awhile. There are a lot of murders in parks in New York, it turns out. Only one involving a sibling. I didn't know your name at the time, but the PI said that Timothy Robbins sister was currently residing in this town, so I was sure we had the right case." He stopped talking when he saw the look Arizona was giving him. He wasn't sure if she was even listening. "I'm sorry if I am upsetting you. I'm just trying to explain."

Callie noticed the far away look in Arizona's eyes and moved to stand behind the blonde's chair. She rested her hands on her shoulders, letting her know she was there for her. Arizona placed her hand over Callie's hand and nodded for Carlos continue.

"Once I had the name of the park, I sent a couple more investigators in to talk to some people who hang out there. You would be surprised at how much people talk when a substantial amount of money is waved in their face. They were able to find a few members of a gang who recognized the story. Apparently the boys who did the shootings liked to brag about it to anybody who would listen."

Arizona cringed and closed her eyes. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear any more.

"Would you like me to stop?" Carlos asked. He couldn't imagine what she must be feeling right now.

Arizona opened her eyes and looked up at Callie. The brunette nodded her head and squeezed her shoulder in encouragement. "No, please continue."

"They worked through the night and were able to get some names. Luckily these boys were not liked among the gang members. Interestingly enough, they were against senseless crimes. It made them look bad. The investigators were able to locate each suspect and followed them to get the pictures you saw. When I turned them over to the police, they said they needed evidence. The investigators went back to the park and recorded anyone who was willing to be on record. It wasn't easy to find people who were willing to use their names, but money talks. They said it should be enough to make the arrests, but would need you to identify them in person and to give your own account of that night."

"The police already have mine." Arizona's voice was so quiet, they almost couldn't hear her.

"They want it again. To make sure that the stories match. They need an actual witness. They can't convict them on hearsay. It won't be used in court. They weren't able to find any physical evidence in any of the suspects houses. You're all they've got."

"Okay, when?"

"I would think as early as next week."

"That's... that's really soon. I'll need to book a flight. I still need to tell my parents. I need to get April prepared enough to run the bakery for a few days. I need to find someone to watch Sonny." Arizona was starting to get overwhelmed.

Callie spun Arizona's chair to the side, so she could kneel down in front of the panicking blonde. She grabbed her head in between her hands and forced her blue eyes to look at her. "Mariposa, you need to calm down. Remember what you said earlier? You're ready for this. I'm ready to do this with you. We'll figure out the details. April and the guys here will be fine. You trained them well. Sonny can stay with Tinks at my place. We'll talk to your parents and Teddy together. It will be fine. You will be fine. You hear me?"

Arizona calmed her breathing and nodded her head. Callie was right. She can do this. "What if they don't get the evidence? What of the are let go and all this is for nothing?"

"That's not going to happen. Those guys are going to jail or a long, long time. Probably forever."

"This is really happening?" Arizona whispered.

"It's really happening." Callie prepared herself for the waterworks she was sure the blonde would release, but none came. Arizona almost looked hopeful. Callie raised herself higher on her knees, so she could hug Arizona better. She kissed her forehead, then each cheek, and then her lips. After a minute they heard Carlos clear his throat. Both woman blushed. They had completely forgotten he was there.

"Sorry, Daddy." Callie said retaking her spot behind Arizona's chair.

"You're fine." Carlos was still surprised by the way the two women interacted. He decided to change the subject. "Arizona, your parents are still in New York?" He already knew the answer from his research of the family.

"Yes, they own a bakery out there. It's been in my family for three generations."

"You didn't want to stay to to operate it?"

"No, I decided to come out here instead. When they retire, it will still be passed down to me. I will just run it from here and visit often. They have a wonderful staff there. My parents will probably never retire though. They love it too much."

"I'd love to talk business with your father. Businessman to businessman."

"I'm sure he would love that." Arizona smiled at the thought of her father and Carlos getting together. They were so completely different. It would definitely be interesting.

"I can see you're doing well here. This is a beautiful place. Your employees seem happy and I noticed the customers seemed pleased too. That is very important." When he was waiting up front he observed the steady flow of customers. The bakery seemed to be successful.

"Thank you. I learned everything from my parents and my brother."

"I'm sure you did, but it takes an intelligent business savvy woman to be able to do this all by herself. Your parents must be proud."

"Yes, sir, they are." Arizona smiled up at Callie. Callie was watching her father curiously.

"Calliope, Mark tells me your little shop is also doing very well."

"Yes, Daddy, it is." Callie squeezed Arizona's shoulders one last time and went to sit back in her seat.

"Of course it would be. You have always made good practical decisions when it mattered. You are a Torres, after all." Carlos smiled proudly at his daughter.

Callie was sure she was dreaming. Sitting here in her girlfriend's office with both her girlfriend and her father together, having a civil conversation, and her father actually seemed proud of her was all very surreal.

"Calliope, what is on your mind?" Carlos was starting to feel uneasy under his daughters intense gaze. A feeling Carlos Torres was not familiar with.

"I am just having a hard time believing you're here. That this is for real."

Carlos sighed and glanced sideways at Arizona. The blonde quickly picked up a stack of papers and pretended to read them. "I know, Mija. I feel sorry that you feel that you can't trust me. I am your father. You should never have to feel that way and it is my own fault. I'm trying very hard here." And he was. Carlos wasn't actually in town. He had come by originally to visit his daughter. He wanted to see her in her own environment and get to know the real her. When she wasn't at work, he decided to see if Arizona was in. He felt lucky when he found both women there.

"Have you talked to Mama? How does she feel about this?"

"No, I haven't had a chance yet. I've put everything on hold to help you and Arizona. It is my number one priority right now. You are my number one priority. I've also made sure everyone working on this case in New York pushed it to the top of their list." Carlos had spent his whole life putting family second and he was going to change that. "In fact, I plan on flying out there tomorrow morning to make sure everyone is on track."

"No, Mr. Torres. You don't have to do that." Arizona butted in. He was already doing too much for her.

"I know, but I want to." Carlos' cell phone began to ring. "Excuse me, I'm going to take this outside." He stepped outside of Arizona's office and shut the door.

Arizona and Callie looked at each other in disbelief. This had been a crazy day and it was barely lunch time. "Wow..." was all Arizona could manage.

"Yeah..." Callie stood up suddenly. "I'll be right back." She left Arizona alone in her office to go find her father. She found him standing outside the back door of the bakery. He had just hung up his phone. "Papa, who was that?"

"It was the lawyers in New York. You need to prepare Arizona. They need her there as soon as possible or they're going to have to release the suspects." He was surprised they were able to arrest them. The evidence he got was pretty shoddy.

"Are you serious?"

"This is very serious."

"How much do I owe you for this?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Calliope. You owe me nothing. I'm the one that owes you everything."

"Thank you, Daddy." Callie gave him a tentative hug. She looked forward to the day this didn't feel weird anymore. If that day ever came. She hoped it did.

"You're welcome, Mija. I'm sorry this happened to your Arizona, but I'm glad I am able to do something about it." It never failed to amaze him how much power money had. It was a messed up society they lived in. "I'm going to go, so you can talk to Ms. Robbins. We'll take my plane and leave tomorrow morning. I was able to get them to hold them overnight. Tell Arizona bye for me."

"I will."

"I'll see you in the morning. I'll have my driver pick you up." Carlos paused. He realized that he had no idea where his daughter lived. "I'll just need an address."

"I live right up there." Callie pointed to the stairs that led to her apartment.

"You live above your business?"

"Yes, so?" Callie quickly took a defensive stance.

"I'm not judging you, Calliope. I was just asking."

"Oh." Callie was so used to people judging her, she usually just assumed. "Okay, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She has seen her dad more in the past few days than she has seen him in the last year. It felt good.

"Bye, Mija. Te quiero."

"I love you too, Papa." Callie watched as he got into the back seat of a blacked out town car that had appeared out of nowhere. She took a deep breath to gather herself and made her way back to Arizona's office. She wasn't surprised to see the was blonde still staring at the same stack of papers. She looked up when she felt Callie's presence.

"Hey where's your dad?"

"He had to go. He said to tell you bye."

"Oh. Okay." She was hoping for more information. She saw worry in her girlfriends face. "Who was on the phone?"

Callie sighed and sat down. "It was the lawyers..."

"Okay, and?"

"The police were able to make the arrests, but they can only hold them overnight without proper identification and your statement."

"So, that means..." Arizona quickly realized what that meant. "Oh my god."

"Exactly." Callie watched the blonde's face closely for any signs of a breakdown.

"Calliope, stop looking at me like that. I'm not going to freak out." She hoped not anyway.

Callie quickly looked away. "I'm sorry."

Arizona went into prep mode and opened her laptop to turn it on. "I guess we need to find a flight." She was worried about how much a last minute flight across the country was going to cost her. Her bakery was doing well, but she was still paying start up costs and hiring Meredith had set her back a little.

"Arizona, we don't need to find a flight. It's taken care of."

"You already got one?" _When did she have time to do that?_ "Well, how much do I owe you?"

"It didn't cost anything." Callie avoided eye contact. Her father's money still made her uncomfortable.

"How could it not cost-" Arizona paused. "Let me guess. You own your own plane too?" She said almost accusingly.

"No! Of course not!"

"Then what?"

"It's my father's plane." Callie said quietly and stared down at her hands. She had no idea why she was having such a hard time with this.

Arizona slammed her laptop shut. "Oh, well that figures. When is his plane picking us up? Does he have his own runway at his house? Or will we be picked up by a helicopter first and taken to the airport in that?"

"His driver is picking us up in the morning. He'll take us to the smaller airport." There was an airport that housed only small planes fifteen miles from the center of town.

"Of course Carlos Torres has a driver. Stupid me." Arizona was being a bitch and she knew it. It was easier than focusing in on what she needed to do. Her and Callie had that in common.

"Arizona, I know what you're doing and you need to stop."

"I know, you're right." Arizona rested her forehead on her desk in front of her and took some deep breaths. She felt Callie reach over and start scratching her head. "I love it when you do that." She purred.

Callie laughed, "Yeah, I know." It was her secret weapon. After a few more minutes, Arizona sat back up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just needed to gather my thoughts."

"Do you want me to call your parents?"

"No, I think I need to do this in person."

"Are you going to at least tell them you're coming."

"I think we're going to surprise them."

"I hope your dad is wearing pants when we do." Callie smiled when Arizona started to laugh. "I'm going to go to your house and pack some clothes for you and get Sonny. You stay here and sort out whatever you need to do."

"Are you sure it's okay if you leave work for a few days?"

"Of course. I can just push back my appointments. It's no big deal." Callie has be taking less clients since Arizona has been around. She preferred the company of the blonde more.

"Okay. If you're sure." Arizona really wanted Callie to go, so she didn't push it any further.

"I'm positive. Have any special requests for me to pack?"

"No, I trust you." Arizona was sure Callie would only pack her dresses and the tightest jeans she could find. They were the brunette's favorite. Callie couldn't keep her hands off her when she wore them. "Just make sure I have something appropriate to go meet the lawyers in and maybe something for a night out." Might as well have a fun night out with her friends while she was there.

"I can handle that." Callie went to hug Arizona goodbye. "I'll see you later. You're going to be great, Mariposa."

Arizona nodded and kissed Callie goodbye. She felt her loss immediately. "Damn it." She muttered to herself. She stuck her head out of her office and yelled, "Staff meeting in my office now! April, lock the door and put a sign up saying we're closed for the next half hour!" Not even five minutes later Alex, Lexie, April, and Meredith were crammed into her office with matching looks of confusion.

"Starting tomorrow, I am going to be out if town for a few days at least. I'm not sure yet exactly how long I'll be. April, you are in charge while I'm gone." Alex and Meredith groaned. "You three will listen to her. If I hear you gave her any crap, you'll be on opening duties for a month. Greys, I'm sorry, but you two will have to work extra hours to cover my orders. I'll pay you overtime." She stopped to make sure they agreed. When they both nodded, she continued. "I'm trusting you guys to not run my baby into the ground."

"We'll be fine, Boss. Don't worry about it." Alex said. He knew she would anyway. It's in her nature to be in control at all times. "And you'll only be a phone call away, right?"

"Of course."

"Where are you going?" Lexie asked. It was very unlike Arizona to just pick up and leave. She was a planner.

"New York. There have been some new developments in Timothy's case."

"What?!" Lexie and Alex yelled at the same time. They knew how serious this was. It had to be, since Arizona was dropping everything and flying back to the place she swore she'd never go back to. Meredith and April were just lost.

"I'll fill you in when I get back. Now go back to work, I have some stuff I need to do here before I go." The four left her alone and she turned her computer back on to check her email and order this weeks supplies.

* * *

"Cals! You will never guess who stopped by here looking for you!" Mark yelled towards the back door when he saw his best friend trying to sneak in. When Carlos Torres had walked in their front door earlier, he had to blink several times to make sure he was awake.

"My father." Callie had been so busy the last couple of days she had completely forgotten to catch Mark up on what was going on.

"Hey how did you know?" Mark was sure she would have never guessed that in a million years.

"He found me next door."

"As in Arizona's next door?"

"Yup."

"Like with Arizona?" He knew how the Torres family felt about Callie's sexuality. "Does he know you two are involved?"

"Yes. We went to dinner at my parents house the other night."

"Are you serious?! And you didn't invite me? That must have been a shit storm."

"It was at first. Lucia Torres was just as nasty as ever, but then my dad stopped her. He apologized for how he has treated me. He said he was okay with Arizona and me. He seems to actually like her."

"Wow..." Mark was shocked. He never thought this would ever happen. "Do you believe him?"

"I don't know. I really want to. He seems like he's trying."

"He did come in here without a bodyguard or anything and he didn't ask me when I planned on marrying you for once. That seems like a huge step."

"It is. I'm going to just take it one day at a time and not get my hopes up too much." It was too late, Callie's hopes were already too high. She wanted her family in her life so badly. "Is George around?"

"Not yet, why?"

"I need him to rearrange my schedule. I have to leave for New York tomorrow."

"You're leaving?"

"Not only has my dad decided to randomly accept my lesbian heathen lifestyle, he has also managed to find Tim's killers in exactly one day."

"Your father is a scary man."

"I know. Arizona and I are flying out tomorrow morning so she can id them."

"Is Blondie totally freaking out?"

"Not at all. I don't know if I should be worried or relieved. I'm just going to stand by her no matter what happens."

"Good for you, Cal. She's lucky to have you." Mark smiled at his friend.

"No, I'm the lucky one." Callie was reminded of that every time Arizona looked her way. "Can you ask George to take care of that for me. I need to go to Arizona's to get her stuff and then go to the store. I'm cooking her a huge meal tonight to hopefully distract her for a little bit."

"No problem, Cals. Call me if you need anything."

"I will!" Callie said as she left. After three hours of going to the store, packing most of Arizona's wardrobe, and fighting Sonny to get into his carrier, she finally made it back home. She carried Sonny up the stairs first so he wouldn't be stuck in the car. She hoped Tinkerbell wouldn't kill him.

"What the hell is that?" Cristina asked when her roommate came struggling through the door.

"It's Sonny." Callie put the carrier on the floor and went to find Tinkerbell.

"What is a Sonny?"

"Arizona's cat. You met him when we went to her house, remember?"

"No. What is he doing here?"

"You're going to watch him and Tink while Arizona and I go to New York."

Cristina snorted, "Yeah, that is not happening."

"Cris, please! It's last minute and I'm kind of in a bind here. I'd take him to Aria's but she's pissed at me, because of you."

"What did I do?"

"What didn't you do? You really need to watch your mouth around Alexa or you're never going to see her again. Are you going to feed them or not? They can entertain each other."

"Fine, but if they die, it is not my fault." Cristina watched as Callie whispered quietly in Tinkerbell's ear. She rolled her eyes. "Cal, you do know she doesn't understand you, right?"

"Yes she does." She opened Sonny's carrier and let him slowly come out himself while still holding Tinkerbell in her arms. The grey cat looked around curiously and spotted Cristina on the couch. He immediately ran and jumped into her lap.

"Argh! Get it off me!" Cristina flicked Sonny's nose to get him to go away.

Callie put Tinkerbell down and scooped up Sonny off Cristina's lap. "Calm down, he won't eat you. Sonny, this is my house. You stay away from the mean lady. You can play with Tink here." The two cats eyed each other suspiciously. Tinkerbell did not like that her mom's attention was not on her. Callie gently put Sonny down in front of Tinkerbell. The two cats hissed at each other and ran in opposite directions of the apartment to hide. "That went well."

"Great, you're leaving me with two cats who hate each other?"

"They just need to get used to each other and then they'll be fine. Just like when we met." When they were first placed in the same dorm room together, they didn't say one word to each other for a week. "Now I can't get rid of you."

"You can't get enough of me. It's you I can't get rid of." Cristina was staring off in the direction that Sonny ran to. She wasn't too sure about this. "What's in New York anyway?"

"Arizona's parents." Callie didn't feel like explaining it all again yet and she knew Cristina wouldn't ask.

"How exciting."

"Should be interesting. By the way, you need to stay at Owen's tonight." She didn't want Cristina ruining her dinner. Callie went back downstairs to get the groceries and luggage. Arizona had texted her earlier saying she was going to be working late, which meant until about five or six o'clock bakery time. Callie wanted to have her dinner done by then and it was almost four now. She unpacked all the groceries and went to put Arizona's stuff in her room. When she got there she found Sonny and Tinkerbell curled up together sleeping on her bed. She took a picture with her phone and sent it to Arizona. That should make the blonde smile.

**Look who I found on my bed. I think they like each other.**

**Awww! Our babies are the cutest cats ever. I'm sure of it. Those cats they put on litter boxes don't even compare.**

Callie laughed and put her phone down. She went back to the kitchen to get to work. She was determined to make tonight as special as possible for her girlfriend.

* * *

Even though Arizona had been an a fancy private jet for the past several hours, she did not comprehend that she was actually going back to New York until they had started to descend from the sky and she took in the first view of the legendary skyline. "Holy hell." She murmured to herself as she held onto Callie's hand in a vise-like grip.

"Ow, babe. You're hurting my hand. I need that to work."

"I'm sorry." Arizona let up a little. "We're here?"

"We are." Callie lifted they joined hands and kissed the back of Arizona's. "You ready for this?"

"I think so." Carlos had told them they had to go straight to the police station as soon as they landed. Arizona looked over to where he had been sitting talking quietly on his phone almost the entire flight. "Is he coming with us to the station?" For some reason, the blonde felt safer with him around. The two bodyguards who escorted him probably helped with that.

"Yeah. He'll do all the talking and lawyer crap I don't understand for us." Callie and Arizona were both grateful he was able to come with them.

"I wish I could see my parents first. I feel like this is kind of a huge step to take without them even knowing."

"We'll go see them right after, okay?"

"Okay." Arizona was excited to go visit her parents bakery again. She just had to focus on that.

When the plane touched down, Arizona could see a car already waiting for them on the tarmac. The drive to the police station was long and silent. Arizona looked out the windows at the tall buildings she hasn't seen in almost a year. As they got closer to the neighborhood she grew up in, the buildings started to get smaller. They turned down a street she recognized as the one the park was located off of. Arizona had forgotten the police station was located two blocks down from it. Callie felt the blonde stiffen next to her and looked up in alarm. Arizona was staring out the window with a faraway pained expression on her face. "Mariposa, what is it?" As the park came into view, Callie quickly realized the problem. She turned Arizona's head and forced her to look away. "Hey, look at me. Focus on me okay? Don't go back there." Callie needed Arizona to remain focused on the present or she'd get lost in the past and they'd lose their only witness again. "Think about Sonny. Think about Alexa and the good time you two had at the fair together." Callie could see what she was saying wasn't getting through to the blonde. "Remember last night?" _There!_ Arizona's eyes finally focused in on Callie's and they both smiled. "You're beautiful when you smile."

"Thank you." Arizona whispered

"We're here." The driver said from the front. He got out and went to open the door for his passengers. When they got out they saw a couple of who they assumed were detectives and three men in very expensive looking business suits waiting for them. The three men looked out of place in this neighborhood. They walked up to Carlos and they shook hands.

"Mr. Torres, thank you for coming out here so quickly. I assure you we are taking this matter very seriously." One of the lawyers said. Carlos Torres had promised to double their usual high fee if they could get this case closed within a month. He said he'd triple it if it was within two weeks. The firm had dropped everything else they were working on to do just that. Once this case went to trial they knew they'd be able to devour whatever court appointed attorney the three men were assigned. It was just a matter of getting it to trial.

"Thank you gentlemen." Carlos turned to the two women standing at a distance behind him and waved them forward. "This lovely woman here is Arizona Robbins." All the men exchanged looks. This woman was the reason they were all here. Why they were about to receive the biggest pay day of their careers. "And the beautiful woman next to her is my daughter and Arizona's partner, Calliope Torres."

Callie looked at her dad in shock. He actually just introduced Arizona and her as a couple and admitted she was his daughter to three of the most powerful lawyers in probably the whole United States. And he didn't seemed ashamed of her for once. Maybe he was changing. The women shook the mens hands and stepped back again to let them talk business.

"Do you want go wait inside?" Callie asked Arizona. The blonde had been staring intently at the door for a solid ten minutes. She didn't even blink once.

"No, I'm good out here. It's a nice day." Arizona turned to Callie and fully took in her outfit for the first time. She had been so distracted and tired when they left at three that morning she didn't even notice Callie was wearing a perfectly tailored to her curvy figure black pants suit with a simple deep purple blouse underneath. It even looked like she had tamed her hair a little. Arizona looked down at the charcoal grey pencil skirt and dark red blouse and heels Callie had picked out for her to wear and laughed. The brunette gave her a quizzical look. "Calliope, we actually look like grown ups." Arizona laughed again.

Callie smiled at Arizona's happy laughter. "We are grown ups. I know you forget that sometimes with your heelies, sand castles, cotton candy, and stuffed unicorns." Callie stepped forward and ran her hand over Arizona's butt. It looked amazing in the skirt she was wearing. "Besides, you look really hot in that skirt and those heels. Maybe I should dress you more often." She moved closer to whisper in her ear, "I can't wait to take them off you." Callie looked down at Arizona's exposed legs. "Actually, Just the skirt. I think I'll leave the heels on." She went to cup Arizona's ass again.

"Calliope! Can you manage to keep your hands off Arizona long enough to go inside?" Carlos said just loud enough for the women to hear. He smirked at them when they snapped there heads his way with equal guilty expressions. Arizona buried her face in the raven hair that covered Callie's shoulder and burst out laughing. Callie did not did not find this funny at all. "Well?'

"Yes I can manage that." Callie rolled her eyes at her smirking father.

"Are you sure?" He looked down to where Callie's hand was still resting on Arizona's butt. "I can give you a few more minutes if you like."

"Papa!" Callie realized where he was looking and her face flushed. She quickly moved her hand to a more respectable location at her side.

"I'm sorry, Mija. You're make it too easy to tease, just like when you were a little girl." He was happy to see some things never change. "If you ladies are ready, they are waiting for us inside." He turned and headed up the steps into the station.

Callie looked at Arizona who looked like she was trying to hold in another laugh. "Not funny."

"Yes, it was. You have a good track record of embarrassing yourself in front of parents. I can't wait to see what happens the next time we see your mom."

"Ugh, I don't want to talk about that woman right now." Callie grabbed the still giggling blonde's hand. "Come on, Chuckles they waiting for us. I don't want my dad thinking I'm out here feeling you up more."

When Callie pulled her through the doors of the police stations, Arizona instantly sobered up. They walked up to the group of men who were waiting at the end of a long hallway. "What happens now?" Callie asked.

"We need to get a statement from Ms. Robbins and we need to do three separate line ups so you can identify each suspect separately."

"So they are here? In this building? Right now?" Arizona took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn't believe she was so close to her brother's killers after five years of always wondering where they were and what they were doing. She felt Callie take her hand. "Calliope can stay with me, right?"

"Of course, Ms. Robbins. You just have to decide what you want to do first."

"I'll give you my statement first." She didn't think she'd be able to say much about it after doing the line up. The two detectives and one of the lawyers took Arizona and Callie to one of the small rooms off of the hallway.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please. Black for me, two sugars for Arizona."

The detectives handed each woman a cup of coffee and sat down across from them. "Ms. Robbins, I've looked over everything there was in your brother's file. There are a couple of things that concern me, so I would like you to start from the very beginning and tell us every detail you can remember. I know it has been five years, but try."

"Detective Shroeder. I relive that night in my nightmares. I remember every single detail." Arizona snapped at him. She slouched back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Arizona, he wasn't accusing you of anything." Callie tried to get the blonde back on track. "Just tell him everything and then we can get out of here."

"Fine..." Arizona sat up straight and told the room the story of the night her brother was murdered. Even though Callie had heard the story before, it was still just has horrifying as the first time Arizona had told her. Callie rubbed her hand over Arizona's thigh the entire time she was talking to keep her grounded.

The detectives made sure not to interrupt the blonde as she spoke. When she was done, Detective Shroeder sighed. He was hoping for something different. "Ms. Robbins-"

"It's Arizona."

"My apologies. Arizona, you said you had walked away and then you heard the three guns shots."

"That's correct."

"You didn't actually see who or where the gunshots came from?" From the autopsy report, the detective knew that two different types of bullets were found in Tim's body. Two from the same gun and one from a different one.

"No, no I didn't." Arizona never realized that could be a problem. Five years later and a much clearer mind made it obvious to her now why it could be.

"Thank you, Arizona. You can go now. The others are waiting for you right outside." The detective looked at his partner. They were both thinking the same thing. Not only did they have to prove that the three suspects were the ones who actually committed the murder, but they had to figure out which two had done the shooting. They had no new evidence and no new witnesses. All they had now was a harassment case at best. Their only hope now was that one of the three men cracked and confessed. After five years of freedom, that's was highly unlikely.

"Babe, you did really great in there." Callie said as the exited into the hallway.

"Calliope! You heard him! They have nothing! Their only witness, meaning me, didn't actually witness anything!" Arizona was mad. Really mad. She felt so stupid for not realizing this before. She felt stupid for coming here. "This is your fault Calliope. You made me come here! Now I have to go look at the faces from my nightmares. And for what? So they can just walk free again?!" Arizona looked at the men who would take her to see the line up. "Come on! Let's get this over with. I want to go home." She took off down the hall and the men quickly followed. They left a confused Carlos and a bewildered Callie standing alone together.

"Arizona! Don't you want me to go with you?!" Callie yelled down the hall.

"No! You've done enough, Callie!" Arizona yelled back before disappearing around a corner. Callie knew the blonde didn't mean it, but it still stung. She started to follow Arizona, but was stopped by her fathers hand on her shoulder.

"Calliope, where are you going?" He looked at his defeated daughter. He couldn't help but think that this was his fault.

"She doesn't know it right now, but she needs me. I'll wait outside the door until she does." Callie hurried off down the hall before Carlos said anything else.

Arizona sat in a small room with one of the detectives whose name she didn't remember. He was bald, overweight, and smelled like stale cigarettes and sweaty balls or what Arizona assumed sweaty balls smelled like. It was making her queasy. She was sitting in an uncomfortable rolling chair facing a set of light yellow blinds covering what appeared to be a one way mirror. She wondered if the blinds used to be white. The room was incredibly drabby for being a room they brought victims to. The walls were painted a light grey and the carpet was a darker shade of grey. There were three mismatched office chairs and a small side table that held a pot of coffee and a pitcher of water. It was very frowny. Arizona smiled slightly to herself remembering the first day she met Callie and she had called her shop frowny. She didn't think that anymore. The shop reflected Callie and Callie was definitely not frowny. Arizona sighed and put her head in her hands. _Why did I have to go and freak out on Calliope?_

"Arizona, let me know when you are ready." Detective Sweaty Balls said. She lifted her head and glared at him. "Are you sure you don't want anyone here with you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. How does this work?"

"At your say so we'll have eight men come in that room over there. Don't worry, they can't see you. You just need to point out to me who you believe to be the suspect."

"Oh is that all?" Arizona said sarcastically.

"Just let me know when you're ready."

"I guess now is fine." She watched the detective stand up and open the blinds. He picked up the phone and told the unknown person on the other side to send them in. "No, wait!" As soon as the door on the far right of the other room opened, Arizona threw herself on the floor and sat against the wall underneath the window. _Arizona, you can do this. Think happy thoughts. Sonny! Sonny is cute. Fluffy. Super soft. And Callie. _Arizona smiled as she thought about the night before. It was one of her favorite nights of her life.

"Ms. Robbins!" The detective had been trying to get the blonde's attention for five minutes.

"Shut up! I'm trying to think!" Arizona was really beginning to dislike this detective. She went back to her thoughts of the night before. After work she had gone home to Callie's to find the brunette had made her dinner. Callie decided to make comfort food with a twist. White truffle mac and cheese, herb crusted chicken, and roasted cauliflower and garlic. Arizona had been sure she was going to die from eating so much of that mac and cheese. It was the best thing she's ever put in her mouth. After dinner they cuddled on the couch with the cats and watched a cheesy romantic comedy. Arizona had fallen asleep on Callie's lap and had woken up to the brunette picking her up to bring her to bed. After Callie gently set her on the bed, she started to undress her slowly. The brunette seemed startled when she looked at Arizona's face and saw her watching her. Callie had smiled a heart stopping loving smile at her and continued to undress her. When she was completely naked, Callie undressed herself and lowered herself on top of Arizona.

"Ms. Robbins!" The detective was getting frustrated. Carlos Torres was breathing down their necks to close this case and they had been sitting in here for an hour.

"Seriously, dude. Be quiet." Arizona hugged herself and smiled, thinking about the way Callie had made love to her last night. The passionate brunette had been so caring and tender, bringing her to a slow intense release. Arizona had never felt so cherished before. The emotional and sexual connection they shared was mind blowing to the blonde. As she fell asleep in Callie's arms, she had thought about how she would never find anyone who loved her like Callie loved her and she knew there was no one else she'd love as much as Callie. "Detective Swe- I mean Detective? Can you get Callie for me?" Not even five seconds later, warm arms were wrapped around her protectively. "Calliope? How did you get here so fast?"

"I've been right outside the door waiting."

"You have? Why?" Arizona didn't know why she was surprised. Of course Callie had waited for her.

"Because I knew you needed me. I wanted to be as close as possible, so I could be here as soon as you did."

"How do you always know?"

"The same way you know when I need you." Callie smiled and squeezed the blonde's knee. "Why are you on the floor again, Mariposa?"

Arizona snorted, "I don't know. They opened the door and I panicked."

"Do you want to try again?" Callie asked softly.

Arizona nodded and attempted to get up. "Calliope, I need help. I swear you went out and bought me a tighter skirt just so you can look at my ass."

Callie grinned, "No, but that's a great idea. I might have to secretly replace your whole wardrobe." She held out her hands to the blonde and pulled her up. Arizona saw that the blinds had been pulled back down.

"Where did Detective Sweaty Balls go?"

"What?"

"He smells. Like really bad and I couldn't remember his name."

"Do you even know what sweaty balls smell like? And his name is Detective Roper."

"No, but probably like that guy. Why? Do you?"

"I'm happy to say that I don't."

"Good." Arizona sat back in the awful chair and pulled up another for Callie.

"Why are we even talking about this?" Callie had some of the weirdest conversations with her girlfriend and usually at the most inappropriate times.

"I don't know." Arizona shrugged. The door to the room opened and she was happy to see that it was Detective Schroeder who entered this time.

"Arizona, are you ready to try again?" The detective asked.

"Yes, I'm really ready this time."

"Okay, I'll send them in." He lifted the blinds and picked up the phone.

When the door opened again, Arizona didn't feel like she needed to hide. Instead she stood up so she could get closer to the glass to see better. Callie stood up and cradled her from behind. Arizona recognized the second man immediately. He was the only one who didn't say a word to her that night. He looked nervous now. "Number two." She said flatly. That was a lot easier than she thought. The line walked out the open door on the left.

"Are you okay?" Callie whispered in her ear, making the hairs on the back of the blonde's head stand up.

"Yeah. Don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." Callie watched as the door on the right opened again and more men came in.

Arizona wasn't as sure about this one. All the men looked the same. The one on the end smirked slightly and she knew that was him. She recognized his cocky smile. "Number 8." The line walked out and Callie kissed her temple. Arizona was nervous about the next group. It had to be the group that had the man who had harassed her the most. The one who threw her on the ground and the one she was sure shot her brother. She stood up straighter and prepared her body for she didn't know what. Callie sensed the change in her girlfriend and squeezed her tighter. The door open again. Arizona closed her eyes as the men filed in. After a minute, Arizona didn't say anything. Callie looked at the reflection and saw the blonde's eyes were closed.

"Babe, they're here."

"I know."

"Are you going to look?" Arizona shook her head no. Callie looked at the eight men lined up against the wall. She had no idea who was who. She wished more than anything she could get into the blonde's head and pick out the guy for her. "Do you want to go?" Arizona shook her head again. "Okay."

"I just need a minute." Arizona sucked in a breath and opened her eyes. There he was, number five. He looked exactly the same. He was staring intensely towards the glass, probably trying to see through it. Her stomach sank and her knees gave out underneath her. Luckily, Callie was able to keep her upright. Arizona knew she needed to say something, so they could take the men away. She was done looking at him. She let out the breath she had been holding in, "Five. Number 5." Then men walked out and then it was over.

Detective Shroeder left the two women alone in the room. Callie placed Arizona in the closest chair and sat down next to her. She didn't want to baby the blonde right now. She knew from experience it would end badly. When Arizona started to cry, she managed to maneuver her into her lap. "It's okay, just let it out. It's over." Callie dreaded when she'd have to see them in court. There won't be a a piece of glass separating them there.

Arizona remembered a time when she would never cry, especially in front of people. She had always thought that she was too hardcore. Now she found herself doing it a lot in front of Callie. She let her tears stop on their own. She came here, she did what she had to do, and now she was done for now. Arizona decided she was going to take it one day at a time. "Okay, I'm ready to go see my parents." She stood up and went to the door.

"Arizona, wait! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. At least for now." Arizona saw the concerned look in Callie's eyes. "Calliope, I promise."

Callie hugged Arizona and kissed her forehead. "Okay. Let's go see your parents." When they opened the door, they found only Carlos waiting for them.

"What happens now?" Callie asked.

"Now, we just wait." After talking to the detectives, Carlos was unsure about what would happen. He just hoped they had enough to go to trial. "Arizona, what do you want to do now? They are done with you for the day."

"I'd like to go to my parent's bakery."

"Okay, lead the way."

Arizona took Callie's hand and led them out to the car. Since the bakery was in the same neighborhood, the drive was short. Callie watched the blonde the entire drive. It was driving Arizona crazy. "Calliope, please stop looking at me like that. I promise you I'm okay. Look, we're here."

Callie looked out the window and saw the large pink building. It looked exactly like Arizona's bakery back home, except for the large Robbins Family Bakery sign. Carlos also saw the building. "Ms. Robbins, your family must be interesting."

Arizona laughed, "Yeah, you can say that." She saw Callie smiling in amusement. The Robbins family was definitely interesting.

"Do your parents know you're coming?" Carlos asked.

"No, they have no idea." Arizona was suddenly nervous. Not only was she about to drop a huge bomb on her parents, but they were also about to meet Callie's father. They were also going to be shocked Arizona was in New York in the first place. "I guess we better go in." She got out of the car after Callie and looked up at the bakery. She had really missed this place and was happy to be here. She wished it was for a happier occasion. Callie placed her hand on Arizona's back and led her inside.

Barbara was standing at the front counter fighting with a pastry box. Whoever had put this batch together did them all wrong and the tabs kept popping out. When the bell on the door rang, she didn't look up. "I'll be right with you. I've almost got this box under control." She laughed. "Darn things have gotten so complicated."

Arizona smiled at hearing her mother's laugh. She seemed so happy and here she was about to ruin it. "Mama?" She said quietly.

Barbara stopped what she was doing. She thought that she had just imagined hearing her daughter's voice, but when she looked up she saw her standing right in front of her and she wasn't alone. "Arizona? Callie? Did I travel to California and forget again?" She tried to joke. She could sense the seriousness of the situation. "Why are you two dressed like that? What's going on?" Both her daughter and Callie looked very nice. After spending time with them a few months ago in California, she knew that both women preferred to dress much more casually and comfortably. She noticed the man that was standing next to Callie. "Are you in trouble little butterfly?"

"Mom, no. Is Dad here?"

"Daniel!"

"Yeah?!"

"Can you come up here?!"

"Hold on, I'm elbow deep in butter right now!"

"Well hurry up!"

A few minutes later Daniel came walking up from the back, drying his hands off with a towel. "As much as I hate sticking my body parts in butter, it sure makes my skin as soft as a baby's bottom." He saw the worried look in his wife's eyes and followed her gaze. He gasped when he saw who was standing there.

"Hi Daddy." Arizona said sheepishly.

"Arizona, what in the world?" He made no move to greet his daughter. He could tell something was wrong. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk in your office?"

"Yes, of course." He looked to the man he didn't know. Callie saw the confusion in his eyes and spoke up.

"Daniel. Barbara. This is my father, Carlos Torres. Papa, these are Arizona's parents, Daniel and Barbara Robbins."

Carlos reached out his hand, "It is a pleasure to meet the people who raised such a wonderful woman." The Robbins just stared at him dumbfounded. The last they head, Callie wasn't speaking to her father and he had been treating her badly for being gay. They didn't know what to think of this man.

Not wanting to be rude, Daniel took the man's hand and shook. "It's nice to meet you too. Callie here has been a blessing to our daughter."

"Calliope is a blessing to us all." Carlos smile proudly, making Callie blush.

"I don't mean to be rude Mr. Torres, but what are you doing here? And why are you with our daughter?" Barbara asked. "This isn't some sort of intervention thing is it?" She would kill this man if she needed to to protect her Arizona.

"No, nothing like that. I think Arizona needs to explain though. Calliope and I can wait out here."

"I'm going with her." Callie said. She knew Arizona needed her now too.

"Dad, office. Please."

"Okay, come on." He stepped around the counter and hugged Arizona. "It's really good to see you in here again, even if I don't know why."

"It's good to be here." Arizona went to hug her mom while Daniel hugged Callie. "I've missed you, Mama."

"I've missed you too baby girl. Let's go talk."

Callie followed the Robbins into a spacious office. She sat next to Arizona on the couch, while the older Robbins sat in the two chairs by the large desk. Arizona needed to get this over with as fast as possible. "Mom. Dad. It's about Timmy." She saw them frown and continued, "Calliope's dad has been helping us find who took his life. He-" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Daniel stood up and answered it to find Carlos.

"I'm very sorry to interrupt, but we need to go back to the police station right away."

"What? Daddy, why?"

"Police station? Arizona Robbins, you tell me right now what is going on." Daniel was getting fed up with all of this.

"She will have to explain on the way to the station." Carlos turned to leave.

"Daddy! Why do we have to go back right now. I though Arizona was finished for today."

Carlos turned around and looked into his daughters eyes. "Another witness has come forward. A witness who saw the shooting happen and can positively identify the shooter."

"How is that possible?" Callie asked. "How do you know it's not just someone making it up for money?"

"This witness didn't want anything to do with money."

"Then why wouldn't they have said anything sooner? It's been five years! It doesn't make sense."

"Calliope, we need to go. The Robbins can come with us. Fill them in on the way." Carlos left the room. He didn't have time to argue with his daughter.

Callie turned to Arizona, who was gaping at the open door. She took her girlfriend's hand and they all headed back to the car.

_Please let this be the big break they have been praying for._

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

This chapter was the death of me. I'm dead right now. I'm posting this from my grave. I seriously don't know what I'm thinking sometimes.

Now for my question- I'm enjoying writing this story and could probably go on forever. So, in your opinion do you want me to keep going until it runs its coarse and people lose interest? Or should I wrap this baby up in a nice little package within the next five chapters or so? Actually, knowing my epic rambling abilities, it's probably be more like 8. I'd like to know now, so I can set that up, if needed. I have a plan worked out in my head either way.

I always think of so much to say here, but completely forgot about it all when it's time to post it.

Umm... next chapter Arizona is going to take Callie to her first lesbian bar. Mainly because I feel like I need a drink and I think it would be fun. It's also the end of Arizona having to face Tim's killers. That will all be resolved. I just realized that's a really weird mix of things to be in one chapter, but trust me, it works.

We all know the battleship story of Arizona's name, so I gave her a new story. It fits her parent's better in my story, I think.

This fic is exactly a month old today. At 20-some odd chapters and 125k+ words, you guys probably think I don't have a life. I really do, I swear. Haha. It's more like I don't sleep much, which is not much better.


	24. Chapter 22: It's over

**Since I still have so much story to tell, I have decided to just let this story run its natural course. I won't drag it on forever, but I also won't make it a point to wrap it up anytime soon. Kind of a compromise to what I asked and y'all seem to agree with me. Thanks so much for all your answers and all your reviews. *mwah!***

**Okay, remember we're working off Nicoleland law here, making what happens here TOTALLY plausible. I really wish you guys could see the faces I make when I write these notes. **

**I've convinced myself Callie on Grey's actually does have tattoos underneath all that scrubbage. Muy caliente! There's a fun storyline for you Shonda lady. I'll even let you take my credit.**

**Oh, you wanted an actual chapter and not me talking? Okay fine, keep reading.**

* * *

Today was Benjamin White's twenty-fourth birthday. He sat quietly thinking about all he has accomplished in his short life and all he still needed to do. His list of accomplishments already achieved was very short. It only had one thing on it that he was proud of. He was hoping to add another today. He rubbed at the tattoo on his forearm he wished he could erase. It was mostly just a grey blob now. It's been eight years to the day since he got it in the dirty basement of some random buddy of his best friend. Add that to the much larger list of bad choices he has made in his life.

"Mr. White, I know this is difficult, but we need you to talk now."

Ben looked up at the three men staring at him. It was unnerving. He didn't think this was hard. It was the right thing to do. What was hard was the possibility of not seeing his sisters again for along time. He had already talked to them earlier that day. They supported him one hundred percent, no matter how this all turned out. "If I do this, you have to promise me that that family doesn't set foot in a courtroom. That they don't have to suffer through this process anymore." Ben couldn't let that happen, especially to the girl with the clear blue eyes that have haunted him in his sleep every night for the last five years.

"Mr. White, we can try, but I can't make that promise."

"Then no deal." Ben sat back in his chair and stared down the detective. He prayed something would change. This had to go right. He turned his head toward the other detective when he started to speak.

"Benjamin, if you could provide us with the concrete evidence we need. Something that can prove without a doubt that those boys committed this crime, then I will make sure the family stays out of it."

"Isn't my word enough? I was there. I saw it. I can provide details no on else would know to prove it."

"No, it's not enough. We need the murder weapons, preferably with fingerprints. We need the clothes from that night. Bloody shoes. Anything you can think of. Any of those things could help immensely. Can you provide any of those?"

"No, no I can't." Ben did have something that would work. He knew it was exactly what they would need. He was hoping he wouldn't have to use it, since it would prove to the others exactly who had narced on them. It was his last resort. "I do have something though. You have to promise me right now that family will be left alone."

"If what you have is what we need, then I can promise you that." Detective Shroeder knew be shouldn't be making such promises, but he needed this boy to talk.

"I also need protection for my family." He knew giving them what he had would put his family in danger. If anything happened to his sisters, it would ruin him for good.

"Mr. White, I can guarantee your family will remain safe." The man who had been standing silently in the corner stepped forward.

"Who are you anyway?" Ben knew the other two were detectives. They had offered him a court appointed lawyer, but he refused. He didn't need it. He wasn't sure who this other man was though. He wasn't part of the initial introductions.

"My name is Carlos Torres."

"Okay? Why are you here?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Benjamin, what do you have to show us?" Detective Shroeder was getting impatient.

"No, I need in writing right now that my sisters will be protected and that the family will only be involved as much as they want. I'll wait." Ben sat back in his chair again and crossed his arms. He had no where else to be right now.

* * *

Arizona sat in another small drabby room at the police station, except this room had two couches in addition to some table and chairs. She stabbed viciously at a piece of cold broccoli with a fork. Someone had brought in enough take out to feed a hundred people. She knew Callie and her parents were in there with her, but she didn't acknowledge them. She hasn't even said a word to anybody since the bakery over two hours ago. No one has told them anything since they got here. Callie ended up with the task of explaining to the Robbins why they were here. Arizona was vaguely aware that her mother had cried and her father was as stoic as ever when it came to the topic of Tim's death. Once again she found herself thinking about how grateful she was that Callie was in her life. It's only been four and a half months and she didn't know what she would do without the brunette. Arizona was aware of how she has been treating Callie. Constantly running hot and cold, then being snippy, then just expecting her to be okay with it and continue to support her anyway. "Calliope?"

Callie was startled out of her thoughts by Arizona's small voice. She was surprised she was talking now after hours of silence. Callie glanced at the older Robbins. Barbara had fallen asleep on Daniel's shoulder and Daniel looked back at Callie and shrugged. She looked over to where Arizona was destroying an entire plate of food. She was also surrounded by a mountain of shredded up napkins. "Yeah?" Callie asked tentatively.

"I'm really sorry."

Callie frowned, "For what, babe?"

"For being an unreasonable jerk. For lashing out at you. You don't deserve that."

"Arizona, it's okay. I can take it."

Arizona threw her fork down on the table, making everyone in the room jump at the sudden noise. "No, it's not okay!" There she went again, yelling at Callie for no reason. "It's not fair to you. You been nothing but supportive and caring to me."

"You're allowed to get angry. You're allowed to let your frustrations out. You can't keep them bottled up. Like I said, I can take it. It shows that you love me, right?" People really are meaner to the ones they love the most, because in the end you know they're the ones who will still stick by you no matter what.

"No, Calliope. I shouldn't treat you like a punching bag and I'm sorry." Arizona made eye contact with her girlfriend for the first time in hours. "I wish you wouldn't let me do it."

"How about you promise to channel your frustrations elsewhere and I promise to not let you take them out on me when you don't?"

"Sounds like a deal." Arizona picked up her fork and resumed her broccoli massacre. "I really do love you. Even if I have a funny way of showing it sometimes."

"I know." Callie smiled and went back to the book she was trying to focus on.

* * *

"Mr. White, can I ask you something?" Carlos had been left in the room alone with the witness. He knew it was probably against protocol, but Carlos Torres got what he wanted. The others had gone to figure out what kind of paper work needed to be drawn up to get Ben talking. When the boy nodded he continued, "Why are you doing this?"

"Mr. Torres, I have four younger sisters. If something like this had happened to one of them, I'd kill whoever did it myself with my bare hands." Ben hated himself for what he had let happen that night. He should have stopped it. He should have never let his best friend approach that girl. He should have been a man and stepped up when he started to harrass her. When her brother came up the situation quickly got out of hand and his friends had pulled out guns out of nowhere. Before he knew what was happening the brother was on the ground and his friends were pulling him away to run. Ben knew they were capable of such a heinous crime. He had witnessed them before. This was different though. It hit too close to home. He couldn't exactly say the moment where his life went wrong, but he could positively say that that night was the moment he turned his life around.

"Why now? Why didn't you come forward sooner?"

"When my youngest sister was ten, my mother abandoned us. All of us had different fathers and we had no idea where they were. I was sixteen at the time and suddenly found myself in charge of my ten, twelve, and two thirteen year old twin sisters. I dropped out of school and worked to provide for us. I would do it again if I had to. It was rough at first, but we managed. They're good kids and they are the only family I've got. Two years later I found myself in that park with my best friends. I couldn't say anything. I just couldn't be sent to jail and abandon my sisters like that. I know it was wrong, but I was a stupid kid." Ben sighed. "I was also a coward." He had thought about turning them in everyday since then. He was actually relieved when two uniformed officers showed up on his doorstep the day before. He knew right then that it was finally over.

"That doesn't answer my question. Why now?" Carlos knew that Ben probably suspected that they had nothing to hold them on. The boy didn't have to say anything and could have already been back home with his family.

"My youngest sister turned eighteen a few months ago. She is the genius of the family and just left for college. Full ride scholarship." Ben smiled proudly. That was his greatest accomplishment. Being able to give his sisters as good as a life as he possibly could. Being able to work hard and keep them together and in school. "Now that she's taken care of and gone, I feel like it's time to fix this. I know it was selfish, but I had to do what I had to do."

"Would you have come forward if you weren't arrested?"

"I honestly don't know." Ben would have loved to have been able to say yes, but he didn't think that was the truth.

The two men looked up when the door opened and the detectives came back in. "Benjamin, we have what you asked for right here. Now what do you have for us to trade for it?"

Ben deeply sighed. This was it. He was finally doing this. It was both freeing and terrifying. "If you go to the small storage facility by the park, you'll find video of that night and about four other videos of other unsolved crimes in unit number 108." Ben had stolen the tapes from his friends house the night after. He didnt want them to get destroyed. If they had known he was the one who took them, he knew for sure he wouldn't be alive today. He has never been happier that those idiots where the dumbest and cockiest people alive.

* * *

Arizona had fallen asleep with her head in Callie's lap. Callie absentmindedly stroked the blonde's hair and thought about all the ways she wanted to make her girlfriend smile again. This has been the longest day of her life and it still wasn't over. They have now been at the police station for four hours. Teddy had arrived about an hour ago. It had been a somber reunion. They still had no idea what was going on and why they were being held there. Callie looked to Barbara and Daniel. They too had fallen asleep, slumped against each other on the other couch. It was nice to see the Robbins family in a peaceful slumber and Callie hoped they could forget what was going on while they slept. Callie smiled sadly at Teddy who was sitting on the opposite side of the couch with Arizona's feet in her lap. The door opened and her father quietly stepped in. Callie used her eyes to silently asked him what was going on. He shook his head and put a finger over his mouth to signal her to be quiet. He didn't want to wake the sleeping Robbins. He nodded towards the door and Callie gently set Arizona's head down on the couch and stood up. Callie noted how tired her girlfriend must have been, since she didn't even stir. She's usually a pretty light sleeper. "I'll be right back." Callie whispered to Teddy. Teddy continued to stare at the opposite wall.

"Papa, what's going on? It's been hours!" Callie asked when they stepped out into the hall together. "No one has updated us on anything. Why are we even here?"

"I know, Calliope and I'm sorry." Carlos grinned at his daughter.

"Why are you smiling?" This hardly seemed like the right time to be in a good mood. Since Callie was feeling cranky, it irritated her even more.

"It's over." Carlos continued to smile as he watched Callie's expression change from mad to confused.

"It's over? Like over over? What do you mean?"

"I mean Arizona is free to go and she won't have to come back. We have everything we need to put those bastards in jail for the rest of their pathetic lives."

Callie blinked dumbly at her father. She has never heard her dad use that kind of language and she was still massively confused, not to mention incredibly tired. Her brain was just not catching up to what her father was saying. "I don't get it. How?"

"Why don't you wake Arizona up and tell her the good news, then I will explain it to all of you."

Callie nodded once. She wasn't sure how Arizona would take this news. "Really? It's actually over? For sure over?"

"Yes, Calliope. Nothing can change now."

"I guess..." Callie looked to the closed door. "I guess I'll go wake them up." Before she opened the door she threw her arms around her father's neck, surprising both of them. "Thank you, Daddy."

"Anything for you, Mija." When she stepped back he noticed the run down look in his daughters eyes. "How are you doing with all of this?"

"I don't know. I'm just trying to be here for Arizona, but I don't really know how to do it."

"It is a unique situation. I don't think anyone knows how to handle something like this. You are doing a wonderful job. I can see how much that woman cares for you and you her."

"You're really okay with this?"

"With what?"

"Arizona and me."

"Of course, Calliope." He was still trying to understand it, but he was already used to the idea of the blonde being around.

"You do know she's a woman, right?"

Carlos chuckled and placed his hand on Callie's shoulder. "Yes, I am not blind. Ignorant maybe, but not blind. I don't know of any other ways to explain to you that I'm here to stay."

"I believe you, Daddy." How could she not at this point? "Okay, now I'll go wake them up." When she re-entered the room, she saw that Daniel and Barbara were already awake. Arizona was still passed out on the couch. Callie kneeled down and smiled at Arizona's sleeping face. She looked so content and at ease. Callie brushed loose blonde hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Mariposa." She whispered and gave her another kiss. "Babe, time to wake up." Blue eyes slowly appeared through heavy eyelids and a small dimpled smile spread across the blonde's face. "There's my girl." Callie smiled back. Arizona is adorable when she first wakes up.

"Calliope?" Arizona looked down at Callie's suit. "Damn, I was hoping this was all a bad dream and that I was waking up to you naked in bed." Arizona saw Callie's eyes go wide and she looked towards the other end of the couch when she heard a familiar snort. "Hey Teddy, when did you get here?"

"About an hour ago." Teddy looked around the room and Arizona followed her eyes. _Oh crap there are other people in here_.

Arizona looked back to her wide eyed girlfriend. "Do you think they heard me?" She whispered to Callie.

"Yeah, baby girl, we heard you." Barbara said loudly from the other side of the room, making both Daniel and Carlos snicker.

Arizona looked at her mother and sat up. "Fantastic."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who embarrasses myself in front of our parents."

"Eh, it's fine. They're not stupid. They know I've seen you naked."

"Arizona!" Callie hissed. If she wasn't in a police station she might have killed her right there. Callie looked at her father. He refused to make eye contact, not that Callie wanted him to.

Arizona saw where Callie was looking and noticed Carlos was back. "So, what's going on? Any news yet?"

"Yes, you can leave now." Callie told her.

"When do I have to come back?"

"Never."

"Never?"

"Never." Callie took her hand and smiled.

"Calliope, I'm going to need more information than that."

"Papa said that it's all over. You don't have to testify. Those men are going to jail."

"What? How is that possible?" Arizona looked at Carlos. "What happened?" She didn't think she was asleep for that long.

"The witness ended up having some pretty damning evidence." When Ben had told them about the videos, the detectives sent a couple of officers to retrieve the tapes right away. Carlos had not been allowed to watch them. However, the detectives did show the tapes to the other suspects.

"So? Won't there still be a trial or whatever?"

"No. All three suspects confessed to the crimes. They will stay in lock up here until they receive their sentences next week. I was assured they'd get the maximum." After the men were shown the tapes, the detectives had gone in to work their magic on them. Carlos doesn't know what was said, but they had come out with recorded confessions. The other tapes they found showed them committing other crimes that would also add onto their sentences. There was no way they would walk free ever again.

"They confessed? Just like that?" Arizona could not wrap her brain around what he was saying.

"The video evidence was pretty hard to deny."

"What video evidence?!" Arizona was horrified by the idea of someone recording that night.

Carlos looked around room. Everyone was staring at him with confusion in there eyes. "I apologize, I'm not explaining this correctly. Then witness who came forward was actually one of the suspects." He paused at the collective gasps that filled the room. "He told the detectives everything that happened and that one of the other boys taped it. He kept these tapes all these years and turned them over to the police."

"But why now?" Daniel asked.

"I guess he felt some sort of moral obligation." Carlos went on to tell the group everything Ben had told him. After he was done the room filled with silence.

"He's not going to jail is he?" Arizona asked after awhile.

"Babe, why wouldn't he?"

"He didn't do anything and it's because of him that the actual men who did do something are in jail for good."

"Yeah, but it sounds like he could have prevented this from happening. He didn't say anything for five years. This could have been all put to rest right away. We wouldn't be here right now." Callie was surprised by what Arizona was saying.

"He shouldn't have to spend his whole life in jail because of what his friends did."

"He's not going for nearly as long as the other men. It was part of the deal. Like you said, he wasn't part of the actual crime, but he was there and he did cover it up for this long. That still means something."

"Okay." Arizona picked at the material on the couch. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. Waiting for her to talk or freak out or something. "It was the guy from the first line up, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I believe so. How did you know?"

"I could just tell he was different." Arizona moved on to picking off the lint from her skirt. She wasn't sure what to think. She looked up and searched for Callie's eyes. "So, it's really over?"

"Yeah, it is."

Arizona looked up at Carlos. Just four days ago she still had no idea who or where Tim's murderers were. They were still able to be free, travel, laugh with friends, and be with their families. Things Tim could never do again. Now they were behind bars for good. It obviously didn't do anything to bring her brother back, but Arizona still felt like a huge weight had been lighted off of her. She jumped up and threw her arms around Carlos. "Thank you Mr. Torres."

Carlos hugged Arizona back. "Anything for the person who can make my Calliope so happy and you can call me Carlos. I think we're done with all the formalities."

Callie watched her girlfriend and father hugging and felt like she wanted to cry. She was so tired and was having trouble controlling her emotions. The stress of the day was finally catching up to her. Arizona noticed this and rushed over to Callie in concern. "Calliope, are you okay?" She asked while wrapping her arms around the brunette.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Callie sank her body into Arizona's arms. It felt so good to be the one being held.

"I can't help but think this was all too easy. Like they're going to come in here and say just kidding. But maybe it was easy for a reason. I think I deserved a break from the hard stuff."

"You do deserve it. How are you feeling about it?" Callie thought that Arizona seemed okay, but that could be the delirium talking.

"Surprisingly great. I feel relieved and free. I don't have to worry about them ever again. One of the major reasons I left New York was because I was always afraid I'd run into them somewhere. If I had never left New York, I would have never met you."

Callie laughed, "Yes, you would have."

"How do you know?"

"We were made for each other. We would have somehow met in another way."

Arizona threw her head back and laughed. "Calliope, you're terrible." She knew she was right.

"No, I'm romantic." Callie kissed Arizona quickly on the lips, aware of her audience for once. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I owe you a massage for what you've done for me today."

"That sounds wonderful." Callie looked at Arizona's smiling face. "You're really okay." It wasn't a question. Arizona smiled wider and nodded.

"Where are you girls staying?" Barbara asked. "You know you're always welcome at our house."

Arizona glanced at Callie. They both had totally forgotten that they haven't found a place to stay yet. "Um, no thank you Mom, I already promised Teddy we would stay with her." She really didn't want to stay at her parents. Technically they were free to go home, but they might as well enjoy some time in New York since they were there and had the next few days off.

"What?" Teddy saw Arizona pleading with her with her eyes. "Oh, right. Yeah. I'm looking forward to it."

"What about you, Carlos? Need a place to stay?"

"No thank you, Barbara. I'm actually headed home right now. I'll have my car take you ladies to where you are staying and call me when you need the plane to go home."

"Okay, Daddy thank you." Calle hugged her father goodbye. Arizona saw the baffled looks on her parents faces and shot them a look saying she'd explain later.

"Bye, Calliope. Come over for dinner when you get back and stay to eat this time."

"We'll see.". There was no way in hell Callie was going back there of her mother was still around.

"Arizona, I'm happy this worked out. I look forward to spending more time with you when you get home."

"Thank you Carlos."

"It was a pleasure meeting everyone else. I will make sure to plan a trip so we can get to know each other better." After everyone said their goodbyes, Carlos, the older Robbins, and the three women went their separate ways. Not before Arizona promised that her and Callie would spend the next day with her parents.

When they got to Teddy's apartment, all three women collapsed on her guest bed.

"I need a drink times twenty." Callie moaned.

"Let's go out tonight! After today, we need to have some fun." Arizona bounced on the bed excitedly. She missed the nightlife of New York. The little town they live in now had none.

"Babe, no. Aren't you exhausted?" Callie knew she must be tired if she turned down a chance to go out.

"Well, I'm down. I don't get out much anymore." Teddy said. Other than her many failed dates she usually just stayed home or worked.

"We can take a nap. It's only about eight. That's plenty of time to sleep before we have to get ready." Arizona rubbed her nose against Callie's cheek and made the sound of a dog whining. "Please, Calliope. Pleeeease? I want to show you off."

Callie easily gave in. "Fine, but you better take me somewhere fun. I never get to experience anything other than Joe's."

"I know just the place!" Arizona kicked Teddy out of the bedroom and tried to get Callie under the covers, but the brunette was already passed out. "Aw, my poor baby." She cuddled up next to her girlfriend and quickly fe asleep.

* * *

"No. No way. You are not wearing that!" Arizona said when she saw Callie come out from the bathroom.

"Why not? I look hot!" Callie smirked. She did and she knew it. She wanted to be different and had picked out a form fitting strapless red dress that showed off every curve and barely covered her ass. She decided to forgo accessories and only wore tall black heels to show off her legs. She had left her hair curly and loose. Since she never usually wore dresses, it was a little uncomfortable and she felt like her butt was hanging out, but she was wiling to deal with it.

"Exactly the problem! I do not want to spend my night being jealous of all the women drooling all over you."

"That's not going to happen and should you really be talking? If I have to change, then you have to change." Callie took in the black dress Arizona was wearing. It was form fitting like Callie's but with slightly capped sleeves and a plunging sweetheart neckline. The pencil skirt on it was very much like the one she was wearing earlier. Callie was sure she did that on purpose. Her dark eye makeup made her blue eyes pop even more than usual, her hair was pinned up in victory rolls, and her bright red lipstick matched her heels. The same red ones from earlier. She definitely did that on purpose. It all had a very rockabilly-esque vibe to it. This was why Callie loved her girlfriends style. She could pull off anything and changed it up often.

"No way. It's not easy to look this good."

"You do look good. Really good. Do we have to go out? I'd rather stay here with you." Callie purred in Arizona's ear.

"I've been looking forward to this." Arizona pouted. "Please go out with me and have fun."

"Of course. I always have fun with you. Let's go get Teddy." The sooner they left, the sooner they could come back and the sooner Callie could get that dress off Arizona.

"Damn you guys clean up nice." Teddy looked them up and down. "You're making me look like a hobo."

"You look great, Teds." Arizona assured her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Club Pearl."

"Are you serious? Nooo..." Of course Arizona would be taking them to a stupid lesbian club. She'd never find a date there. She probably wouldn't find a date in a different club either, with these two with her. All eyes will be focused on them for sure. "Fine, but you're buying."

"What's Club Pearl?" Callie asked. It didn't sound fun judging by Teddy's reaction.

"You'll see. Come on."

The three women piled into a cab and within ten minutes were being dropped off at the clubs entrance. Callie looked around and quickly realized this wasn't a regular club. "Arizona! Did you bring us to a lesbian club!" She wiggled her butt slightly in excitement.

"Yes, she did. Woopdeedoo." Teddy rolled her eyes and took a step back from her friends.

"Ignore her and yes I did. You are a gay aren't you? Because if not, I must say you are very good at doing lesbian things for a non-lesbian."

"Ooo this is so fun! I've never seen so many lesbians in one place before!" Callie looked around in awe.

"Calliope, stop staring! You're acting like you've never seen gay people before." Arizona hissed and smacked Callie on the arm.

"Ow! You've seen where we live. The only gay people there are us, George, Joe, and some random other people I don't really know. I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"What about all those girls?"

"I'm not really too sure about them. Come on. I want to go in!"

"Are you going to stop gawking at everyone like they're on display?"

"Yes, I'll stop. Where's Teddy?"

"Probably already at the bar running my tab up." Arizona wrapped her arm around Callie's waist and led her inside. The atmosphere was vibrant and the dance floor was already full. She was pleasantly aware of all the stares Callie was getting. _That's right ladies, she's mine. You can look, but you can't touch._ She smirked to herself as they headed for the crowded bar away from the dance floor and loud music. They managed to push their way to the front. Arizona looked around and could tell people have been there awhile. She settled in for a wait. The bartender walked straight up to Callie.

"Hey beautiful, what can I get for you?" Arizona's mouth fell open and she narrowed her eyes at the foxed faced bartender.

"Oh, um. Jack neat please." Callie was surprised she was getting her order so fast. This place was very efficient.

"Ah. I love a woman who orders a real drink and not any of that fruity shit." The bartender set a glass on the bar and reached for the bottle. "So, I haven't seen you in here before."

"Probably because I've never been in here."

"That would be a good reason. I would definitely remember you with all those sexy tattoos." The bartender leaned over the counter to pretend she was getting a closer look at Callie's feathers. "What's your story?"

_Seriously? Worst pick up line ever. _Arizona crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. This woman was kidding herself of she actually thought Callie would be interested in her.

"No story. I'm just in town for a few days to visit my girlfriends parents." Callie wrapped her arm around Arizona's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "What do you want to drink, babe? Long Island?" They were here to have fun tonight. She laughed when she saw Arizona glare at the bartender and nod her head. "And a Long Island." Callie jumped when the bartender slammed the glass on the counter. She made Arizona's drink and disappeared to the other side of the bar. "Well that was rude."

"Calliope, she was flirting with you."

"No, she wasn't."

"She totally was!"

"She was really bad at it then." Callie took a sip of her drink. "Do you want to dance?"

"Sure. Can we finish our drinks first?" Arizona was going to need some liquid courage before making a fool of herself on the dance floor.

"Of course." Callie swayed her hips to the music as she sipped on her drink. "The music here is actually pretty good." There's not much worse than a club or bar that only played top 40s.

"I know, that's why I picked it. I knew you would like it."

Callie danced closer to Arizona and kissed her lips. "You're so good to me."

"Hey guys! Where have you been!" An obviously intoxicated Teddy bopped up to them. "You lesbians sure know how to have fun. Everyone here is so nice!"

"Teds! How are you drunk already?" Arizona laughed as her friend attempted to dance with Callie.

"Women just keep giving me drinks! It's rude to say no."

"You do realize they think you're gay?"

"So?!" She's never had this much fun at a club. There were no sqeezy guys rubbing themselves all over her.

"Just be careful Teds." She watched as a woman came and took Teddy to the dance floor.

"She's having fun." Callie really wanted to go dance too. She loved dancing. It was in her blood.

"Yeah, I'm glad. I thought she was going to be pissed at me all night for bringing her here."

Callie started swaying her hips again. Arizona noticed the people around them watching her girlfriend. She couldn't blame them. The way the Latina moved was almost sinful. Arizona put down her empty glass and stepped in front of Callie. She ran her hands across the smooth fabric of the brunette's dress. When she got to her waist she pulled Callie in closer to her. "You have no idea how hot you are do you?"

"Huh?"

"Calliope, everyone is watching you."

Callie looked around and saw that there were quite of few people looking their way. "I think there watching you."

"If they are it's because they're jealous I'm with you."

"Arizona stop, that's not true." Callie spun the blonde around so her back was pressed into her front. She linked their arms underneath Arizona's breasts. She rested her cheek right behind Arizona's ear, so she could whisper into her ear. "Look around, Mariposa. You're the most beautiful woman in this room and there are a lot of women." Callie swayed them back and forth to the music. "I'm going to go get us more drinks. I want to go out there and dance and I know I have to liquor you up first." Arizona shuddered as Callie's hot breath and low laugh moved across her ear. "Stay right here. Don't move and don't let anyone else take you from me."

"You're crazy if you think that would ever happen." Arizona smiled goofily as she watched her girlfriends ass saunter away. When it was out of site, she checked the dance floor to see if could see Teddy. She didn't see her and started too look around the room some more. It seemed pretty busy for a weekday night.

"Zo Zo?!" Arizona's skin began to crawl. There was only one person who ever dared call her that name, no matter how much she begged her to stop. She slowly turned around and locked eyes with dull light brown ones. _Son of a bitch._

_Lizzy_.

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

Holy cop out batman!

I'm trying to write as much as I can before school starts on Monday. I'm not sure what my work load will be like this year. It is my last year though!

Omg you guys. I just re-read my last chapter and realized I accidentally made Dr. Webber a woman. I totally meant that to be Richard Webber. Haha. I guess I had boobs on the brain. When do I not? This one time I was giving a customer directions to somewhere on B Street. I told them where to go and then I opened my mouth to say 'B as in Boy' but what comes out really instead was 'B as in Boobies' and she looked at me funny and I almost died. You guys look really pretty.

=] True story.

Ciao!


	25. Chapter 23: I told you so, Lil Sis

There is usually that one exact moment when you realize for sure you have fallen in love. Sure, you've exchanged your 'I love yous' and you truly meant them. You've connected emotionally, physically, and even spiritually on every level. You've had the kind of all-consuming slow passionate sex you never knew existed. The kind of sex you can only have out of true love. You've had the kind of raw, hot, down and dirty sex where you don't know which way is up, whose body parts belong to who, and you can't move or breath for what feels like minutes when the best orgasm of your life takes over your body from head to toe. The kind of sex that is both pleasurable and painful in the best ways possible. All of these things have made you the happiest you have ever been and you do truly love the person you share them with. But, there is that one moment you finally acknowledge that you've fallen so deeply in love with someone, the thought of living without then becomes unbearable. That one moment you realize you have found the piece that makes your heart and soul complete. The piece of you that you didn't even know you was missing in the first place. That moment when you look at your special person and you feel like your heart is going to literally burst from your chest because you're just so in love. That exact moment for Arizona was when she watched the love of her life slap her ex-girlfriend across the face in the middle of a crowded dance floor. She knew right then and there she was head over heels in love with Calliope Torres.

* * *

**_Exactly 23 minutes and 46 seconds earlier._**

Callie turned and winked at Arizona as she walked away towards the bar. She felt like she had a little extra pep in her step these days. She also felt like her old badass confidant self was back. All because of the stunning blonde she left waiting for her. As Callie approached the bar, she saw Teddy was already standing there. The Latina used the power of her low-cut dress and bright smile to cut her way to the front. "Hey Teddy! Still having fun?"

"Caaaaalliiiie!" Teddy threw her arms in the air, sloshing the drink she was holding onto the floor behind her. "Oooops! I don't know how that happened." She stared down at her glass trying to figure out where the rest of her drink went. When she started to sway a little, Callie quickly reached out her arms to steady her. "Thanks buddy!" Teddy tried to pat the brunette on the shoulder, but missed and hit her in the face.

"Um, Teddy," Callie grabbed the blonde's flailing hand so she didn't get hit in the face again. "How much have you had to drink?" She laughed as Teddy scrunched up her face in concentration.

"I dunno." She shrugged and tried to take another sip from her now empty glass. "I don't remember finishing this one." She slurred. "Another!"

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"I'm fine." Teddy looked Callie up and down. "God, Zona is lucky. I fucking hate her."

Callie laughed, "No, you don't."

"Yes I do! Why does she get the hot perfect girlfriend and I get nothin'" Teddy's eyes began to feel with tears. "I used to have that..."

Callie gave her friend a comforting hug. She couldn't even imagine what Teddy had gone through. The thought of losing Arizona like thought terrified her. Teddy sniffed into Callie's hair. "You give really good hugs."

"So I'm told." Callie smiled and opened her arms to release Teddy. She looked back towards her girlfriend. For some reason, she felt like she needed to see her to make sure she was okay. Callie frowned when she saw another woman approach her from behind. The woman was obviously interested in Arizona by the way she was staring at her ass.

"What the fuck! Get away from her!" Teddy yelled out, making Callie jump. She had also seen the woman approaching her best friend. There was no way Arizona or the woman would have been able to hear her over the loud music and distance. "I'm going to fucking kill her." Teddy swayed in her spot again. "Oh god, I need to sit down." Before Callie could stop her, she left to find an empty table.

"Teddy! Wait!" Callie was torn between following Teddy and going to Arizona. She couldn't leave an inebriated Teddy alone, but she also needed to go figure out who that woman was. She watched as the woman stepped into Arizona's personal space and ran her hand down girlfriend's arm. Callie felt the heat rise in her as anger surged. No one touches her girlfriend and gets away with it. Completely forgetting about Teddy she quickly made her way back towards the dance floor.

"Zo Zo, I can't believe you're here! You look good." Lizzy dragged her eyes hungrily up and down Arizona's body. She knew she had made a huge mistake when she let this woman go. It's all she thought about for the past few years.

Arizona squirmed in her spot and took a step back. The way her ex was looking at her was making her very uncomfortable. "What do you want Lizzy?"

"I want you." Lizzy stepped closer.

Arizona looked into the light brown eyes of the woman who broke her heart and abandoned her when she needed her most. She always wondered what she would feel if she ever ran into her again. She thought she'd feel some kind of pain, regret, sadness. Arizona felt none of that. She felt mostly relief. She knew now that a life with Lizzy wouldn't have been a life worth living. "That is never going to happen."

"Come on Zo Zo. Let's just get out of here and talk."

"Stop calling me that! I hate that name."

"Don't be silly, you loved it when I called you that." Lizzy tried again to get closer, but Arizona kept backing up. They soon found themselves on the edge of the dance floor.

"No, I didn't and I've told you that more than once!" Arizona shook her head vigorously. After three years of dating, Lizzy really didn't know her at all. "I'd like for you to leave now."

"No, I'm not letting you go again. I made a mistake. I'll do anything. Please, just at least listen to me."

"It's been five years, Liz. You've had plenty of time to contact me." Arizona hated to admit that if Callie didn't come along, she would have maybe considered getting back together with Lizzy again. Before Callie, she didn't know any better.

"I've been busy and you're here now. Out of all the clubs in New York we ended up here together on the same night. Come on, Zo Zo. This has to be fate."

Arizona rolled her eyes. Lizzy hasn't changed a bit. Still not listening to a word Arizona said and trying to sweet talk her way into something. It used to work on the blonde, but not anymore. "Why now? You had my phone number. You could have called any time."

"I ran into your mom at the bakery a few weeks ago. She said you're doing really well now."

Suddenly everything made perfect sense to Arizona. Of course Lizzy would only want her back because she thinks she's fixed now. "You're unbelievable! Did she forget to mention I have a girlfriend now too?" Arizona knew her mom would have told Lizzy about Callie. Her mom loves Callie and wouldn't miss a chance to brag about her to the woman who helped destroy her daughter.

"She may have said something about that." Lizzy waved her hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter to me. We were in love Zo. How can you deny that?" Lizzy quickly stepped closer to Arizona and ran her hand down the blondes arm. "I still love you, I know you still love me too."

Arizona tried to shake her arm free from Lizzy's touch, but she just gripped her tighter. "Let go of me, we're done here, Lizzy!"

Callie stopped short when she heard the name come from Arizona's mouth. She had come up just in time to hear the other woman tell her girlfriend she loved her. Her jealous anger had flared up to a whole new level, but when she realized who this was and what it could mean for Arizona, her anger quickly turned to worry. Callie didn't move or say anything. She knew Arizona needed to handle this on her own. She would just wait and step in if the blonde showed any signs of needing her. Arizona's back was to her, giving her a perfect view of Lizzy. Callie took a moment to check the other woman out. She could definitely see the attraction. She was tall and thin, probably even taller than Callie and the bright yellow dress she was wearing contrasted with the woman's dark mocha skin. She wasn't close enough to see the details of her face, but her high cheek bones and long neck stood out against the tight bun the woman's black hair was in.

"We were never really in love. We just thought we were." Arizona could feel that Callie was somewhere very close by and smiled at the thought of her girlfriend silently protecting her. She somehow knew Callie was trusting her to do this for herself, but just knowing the brunette was there made Arizona's heart soar.

"How can you say we that?" Lizzy saw the dimpled smile on Arizona's face. It was full of love. She knew she wasn't wrong here.

"Because it's true! We were only nineteen when we met. We were dumb kids that got swept up in lust and then it just was easier to be together than it was to break up."

"That may have been true for you, Zo, but it wasn't like that for me. I really loved you. I still love you."

"No you don't! You never treated me right. You were a complete bitch to everyone I loved because I didn't give you my full attention 100% of the time. You abandoned me! You just left me to fend for myself at the worst time of my life! Just because it got too hard and you weren't willing to put your own feelings aside to help me for once. You were and still are it seems like, a selfish sad excuse for a human being! I know what true love is now. I know what it's like to be treated right. Like I actually matter and what it's like to be the most important person in her world. I now know how love feels and what we had was definitely not it! " Arizona was yelling now and the people surrounding them had stopped dancing to watch them. Everybody loved some good lesbian drama. Arizona saw the hurt reflecting in Lizzy's eyes and thought maybe she had gone a too far this time. She knew what she said was harsh, but it was true and it felt damn good to say it out loud. She had spent three years walking around on eggshells making sure Lizzy was always happy. Making sure she was always taken care of. Arizona smiled when she felt familiar strong arms wrap around her from behind. "And I know now what it is like to have someone who supports me through everything even the hard stuff."

"So, you're just going to give up what we had? Just like that?" Lizzy chose to ignore the woman who she had noticed earlier was watching them intently and was now wrapped around her ex-girlfriend. She was certain this was the woman Barbara Robbins had gushed on about for twenty straight minutes. She was also sure that this hot Latina bitch had the Robbins women brainwashed.

"See! You aren't even listening to me! Nothing has changed!"

"I am too listening, Zo Zo. You won't give me a chance because you found yourself a bimbo. I get it." Lizzy coward a little under the intense glare she was now receiving from the brunette. If looks could kill, she would have been dead on the floor right now. She wondered why she hasn't spoken a word to her this whole time. She obviously wasn't that great of a girlfriend if she was letting this happen.

"Don't you dare call Calliope names. She is more of a woman than you ever will be!" Arizona was trying hard to keep her anger under control. She didn't need a repeat of what happened at Joe's with Erica. The arms squeezing her tighter behind her was helping immensely.

"Calliope? What kind of name is that? Sounds like a stripper name." Lizzy stepped back when Arizona suddenly lunged at her. Callie was able to hold her back though.

"Callie, let me go!" Arizona struggled against Callie's strong hold, her arms a legs flailing everywhere.

"No, babe. It's not worth it." Callie kissed Arizona's temple and held her tighter, calming the blonde down in her arms. She could feel the deep rise and fall of Arizona's chest as she tried to regain control of her breathing. "I love you okay? And I know you love me. You don't need to kick that woman's ass to prove it."

"Oh, so the amazing bimbo does speak. I was beginning to think you were just a pretty trophy for Zo to carry around." Lizzy laughed evilly when Arizona tried to lunge at her again. Callie was still able to hold down the strong blonde. "That's right, Calliope, control your crazy bitch. You can have her, she was too much work anyway. Have fun trying to sleep when all she does is cry out for her loser of a brother all night. They were too close anyway. It was almost unnatural, if you know what I mean." Lizzy smirked as she watched the fight drain right out of Arizona.

Callie felt Arizona stop fighting her and slump down in her arms. She looked to the smirking woman in front of her and let go of the blonde. Callie made sure Arizona could stand on her own before stalking straight up to Lizzy and slapping her across the cheek so hard it was heard by all, even over the loud music. Ignoring the pain that was now shooting up her hand and arm from the force of her blow, Callie grabbed Lizzy by the arm and forced her away from Arizona. She didn't want her girlfriend to witness this. No one talks to Arizona that way, especially about her brother, and lives to talk about it. The crowd parted around them easily to let them through. Everyone was excited to see a girl fight between two hot ladies. They all were betting on the fiery Latina to completely destroy the other woman.

Arizona stood in shock as she watched Callie take Lizzy away. She has never loved Callie more than she did in that moment. Her heart was full, her breathing was rapid, and the butterflies in her stomach were making her light-headed. Or maybe that was from the stress of the situation. Arizona didn't know or care. All she knew was it felt amazing to feel like this. She also knew she really needed to find her girlfriend before she did something to get herself arrested. She was able to snap herself out of her daze and looked around. She made eye contact with the group of women standing around staring at her. They all pointed in the direction they had just watched the two women go. Arizona nodded her head in acknowledgment and headed towards the back of the club.

Callie had found an empty spot against the far back wall. Fueled by her love and need to protect Arizona, she slammed the other woman hard against it. She used her hands to pin her shoulders against the wall and her thighs to keep her lower half in place. Callie now wished she didn't go for the tight dress, but she'd make it work. If you were watching from a distance you would think you were seeing two lovers in an intimate position, not a woman about to get her ass handed to her.

"Ow you crazy bitch, get off me!" Lizzy struggled with all her strength to get the brunette off of her. The look in her dark brown eyes and the strength she was using against her was really starting to scare Lizzy. She prayed someone would step in before anything really bad happened to her.

"No! Stop moving! You're only making this worse for yourself." Callie smirked at the terrified expression on the other woman's face. She knew she was in complete control, just how she liked it. When Lizzy pushed against her again, Callie pulled her shoulders back just enough to be able to slam them back into the wall. "Settle down before you hurt yourself. I just want to talk."

"Talk?" Lizzy didn't believe that for a second.

"Yeah, talk." Callie backed her lower half off a little and put her arms down. She gave Lizzy a look saying if she tried anything she would more than regret it. "Good girl. Now you're going to promise me right now you will never speak to Arizona again. You will not contact her in any way. You won't even think about her. You lost that right years ago. You made the dumbest mistake of your life by letting her go and now she's mine. I should be thanking you for that, but I know Arizona would have seen what a pathetic waste you are eventually."

"You can't make me do anything." There was no way she was going to promise that. "Zo wouldn't want that."

"Do you really want to push my limits right now? Really?"

"You can't do anything to me." Lizzy stood up straighter so she reached her full height. It made her tall enough to slightly look down into the angry brown eyes in front of her. "You don't have the guts." She let out a small involuntary scream when she was swiftly turned around and thrown back against the wall facing it this time. She found herself being pinned down from behind and whimpered at the pain she felt from her face being pressed against the wall.

"Not so tough now are you?" Callie laughed mercilessly when Lizzy whimpered again. "So, are we agree here? You will stay away from Arizona?" A small noise came from Lizzy's throat. Callie used the bun in her hair to pull her head away from the wall. "What? Speak up. I can't hear you."

"I said no!"

"Respuesta incorrecta, pinche puta." Callie whispered in her ear. Lizzy was thrown off guard by the calmness in Callie's voice. She thought she was scared before, but now she was down right terrified. Callie spun her around so they were face to face again. Lizzy shrank down lower at the new look in the brunette's eyes.

"Calliope! Stop!" Arizona had watched their exchange, but had to step in when she saw Callie's eyes change from angry to kill mode.

"Arizona, go away."

"Calliope, she's not worth it remember?" Arizona cautiously stepped closer and placed her hand on Callie's back. She has never seen the brunette so pumped up for a fight before. She could almost feel the adrenaline coursing through her girlfriend's body. The blonde tried to ignore how hot Callie was being. This wasn't the time or place for her libido to be firing up. "I need to tell you something." She watched as the two women continued to stare each other down. Both knew nothing would happen with Arizona watching. Arizona moved behind Callie, placed both of her hands on the brunette's hips, and pulled her back gently. "Calliope, please. Look at me." She begged.

Callie relaxed her body against Arizona's touch. She still had the other woman pinned against the wall. She leaned forward to whisper in Lizzy's ear, out of the blonde's earshot. "She just saved you a trip to the hospital. Next time you won't be so lucky. I promise you that. Do you want to change your answer yet?" She backed her head up and narrowed her eyes at Lizzy, waiting for her answer. Callie could feel Arizona tugging at her arms, but she shrugged her off. "I'm waiting."

Lizzy looked between the blonde, who was completely ignoring her, and the brunette in front of her. She had no doubts that Callie wouldn't break that promise. "Fine, I'll leave her alone." She relaxed and smoothed out her dress when Callie stepped away from her.

"Good, I'm glad we could come to this agreement." Callie felt like she was turning into her father. She turned around to face Arizona. "What did you want to tell me?" She saw that her bewildered blue eyes we're focused on Lizzy.

"What the hell was that?" Arizona asked pointing over at her steaming ex.

"Oh nothing. She won't be bothering you again though." Callie smiled and grabbed Arizona's chin to get her to look at her. "Arizona, what?"

"Um.." What did she want to tell Callie? She locked eyes with her girlfriend's loving chocolate brown ones. Oh yeah, right. "Just that the night Tim died he told me some things."

"What did he say?" Callie frowned.

"Just that I needed to dump Lizzy. That she was not good for me." She was aware that Lizzy was still standing a few feet from them listening to what she was saying. "That she was a bitch. I didn't want to believe him at the time. He told me I needed someone who gave me butterflies every time that I saw her. Someone who made the whole world fade away when we kissed and someone who made me want to shout from the rooftops about how in love I am. He said find someone who treated me like a princess and wasn't afraid to do cheesy things just to make me smile and laugh. I told him he was just being a lovesick goober and brushed it off. But now I get it. All that stuff he described is right here in front of me. Its you, Calliope. I just wanted you to know that I'm so completely in love you with you." Arizona smiled at the perplexed expression on Callie's face. Callie probably wasn't expecting all of that to come of her mouth in the middle of a club, right after she almost killed her ex-girlfriend. "Now I'm the lovesick goober and I just know that Timmy is up there laughing at me and saying 'I told you so, Lil Sis!'"

"You and your speeches." Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist and lifted her off the ground in a bone crushing hug, causing the blonde to burst out in a fit of giggles. She spun her around once before putting her back down and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, trying to pour every feeling she had for the blonde into it. Arizona put her arms around Callie's neck and returned the kiss with just as much passion and feeling. The music of the club completely faded around them and the eyes watching them disappeared. They were the only ones there as far as they were concerned. When she couldn't breath anymore, Callie pulled away and rested her head on the blonde's forehead. "I'm so completely in love with you too."

"You are?" Arizona smiled hopefully. She didn't think this could get any better. Callie nodded and grabbed her hand and put it against her chest over her heart.

"Feel that? It's going crazy for you."

Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and mirrored her. "Mine is too."

"Oh my god, you guys are disgusting. You deserve each other." Lizzy turned to storm off.

"Lizzy! Wait!" Teddy had watched the entire exchange from the table she had found. She wanted to step in and help, but her legs weren't working right. She had seen that Callie had it under control, so she just watched. When she saw that Lizzy was leaving, she had to talk to her. She couldn't miss her chance. When Lizzy didn't stop she tried again, "Lizzy! I have something for you." She stumbled off her stool and headed for the black haired woman.

"Well, well, well. Teddy Altman. I'd never thought I'd see you again." Lizzy crossed her arms and smirked at the obviously intoxicated blonde woman who had staggered up to her. "Still hanging with the mental patient?"

Teddy built up all the strength she could managed and slapped Lizzy across her left cheek. "I just thought you needed a matched set. The right side was looking a little red. Now it's even." Lizzy's mouth fell open and she quickly turned around to leave. She didn't need to take anymore abuse. "I've been wanting to do that since the first day I met you, you asshole!" Teddy yelled as she watched the woman flee the club. She started to laugh manically. "Oh my god, that felt good. I need a drink." She looked up to find Arizona and Callie shaking their heads at her. "What?"

"Teds. No more drinks." Arizona could see Teddy has definitely had enough.

"You're not my mom, Zona. I'm an adult, thank you very much!"

"Teds, I said no!"

Teddy turned to Callie, "Please, Dad. One more? Pleeeease?"

"Babe, come on let her have her fun."

Arizona rolled her eyes when Teddy threw her arms in the air and literally ran to the bar. "She's going to be so mad in the morning."

"Probably..." Callie looked toward the door. "So... that was your ex, huh?"

"Yup, that was Lizzy."

"Friendly."

"Calliope, she's awful."

"Um, yeah!" Callie hugged Arizona, resting her chin the blonde's head. "I'm sorry, but what were you thinking?"

Arizona laughed into Callie's neck. "Are you kidding me? I met Erica. You do not get to judge."

"Yeah, yeah. How are you feeling? Seeing her again out of the blue must have been a shock to your system."

"I'm feeling good. I'm glad I finally got to get that out of my system."

"What are you thinking about?" Callie asked Arizona after the blonde was silent for a few minutes.

"I was just thinking that I kind of feel bad for Lizzy and Erica."

"Why? What could you possibly feel bad about?"

"It's just sad that they will probably never get to actually experience what true love feels like."

"You don't know that for sure."

"I think I do."

"Well that's over with. I don't want to talk about them anymore tonight. We have each other now, let's not dwell on it. What do you want to do now? Go home and get naked? Go make out in the bathroom?" Callie looked around them and saw they were still being watched out of the corners of people's eyes. "Or make out right here since people seem to think we're so interesting?"

Arizona laughed, "Can you blame them? You just went full on cage fighter on Lizzy and it was hot as hell. Of course people are staring. I just wish they'd stop undressing you with their eyes. Not that you left much to their imagination with that dress." Arizona glared at a group women who were blatantly staring at her girlfriend.

Callie grinned down at the glaring blonde. "Arizona Robbins, are you jealous?"

"No!" Callie raised her eyebrow at her. "Maybe. I-" Before Arizona could say anything more Callie had her locked in an extremely hot and intense kiss. It quickly turned into a battle of tongues and lips. The metal of Callie's tongue ring hitting Arizona's teeth made the blonde shiver. When Callie pulled away, it left Arizona's head spinning.

"There, now everyone here knows that I'm yours." Callie gave the dazed looking blonde a impish smile. "So, how about that make out session now?"

"You know, my brother also said I deserved a solid ten out of ten. You, Calliope Torres, are much higher than a ten. And no, you owe me drinks and I owe you a dance." Arizona pulled Callie to the bar, hoping the same bartender wasn't there. Luckily, it was a different one. One who seemed to have her eye on Arizona this time. Callie arched her eyebrow as the bartender flirted with her blonde. She was beginning to think lesbian clubs aren't really that fun anymore. They've been here maybe an hour and there has already been more drama then Callie has ever experienced and now she had to watch this whore flirt with her girlfriend. "Calliooopeeeee." Arizona tapped Callie on the arm.

"What?"

"Where did you go just now? I've been trying to get your attention." Arizona handed Callie her drink.

"I just don't like seeing other women coming on to my girlfriend."

"Now who's jealous?" Arizona smiled. She liked possessive jealous Callie. It made for hotter sex later. She downed the two shots she had ordered for herself. "Come on, let's go dance and make every other woman in this room jealous of me for getting to dance with you."

They danced together for a few songs. Woman would approach each of them for a turn to dance, but we're quickly scared off by a simple look from the woman's partner. When fast Latin music started to play, Arizona shook her head no and took Callie's hand to lead her back to the bar.

"Arizona! I wanted to dance to that! It's my favorite." Callie crossed her arms and pouted.

"No way! I do not have the kind of sexy you have to pull that off." Arizona felt bad, but there was no way she was making a fool of herself in front of everyone. She kissed Callie's pouty lips. "I'm sorry, baby. I'll make it up to you later." She cupped the brunette's perfect ass with both hands and lowered her voice suggestively. "I promise."

Callie saw the desire in Arizona's eyes and she was sure hers reflected it. "How about you make it up to me now. Want to get out of here?" Before Arizona could answer her the music changed to another upbeat Latin song. Callie moved closer to Arizona and started to move her hips in precise quick movements. The blonde was so distracted by the Latina's sensual movements against her, she forgot there was a question to be answered. "Well?"

Arizona looked at Callie's expectant face and blinked dumbly. "I'm sorry, what?" She refocused her attention on the brunette's hips. She really wanted be holding them down right now while making Callie squirm with her tongue.

Callie threw her head back and laughed at the way Arizona was watching her. She knew that look and she knew it well. Before she could say anything else they were approached by an older, but still very good looking Latina. The woman ignored Arizona and looked at Callie. "Salsa?"

Arizona saw the way Callie's face lit up at the offer to be able to go dance. "Oh no, thanks. We're about to go home." Callie said while grabbing Arizona's hand. She had a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"That's too bad. Judging by the way I saw you move, I thought I finally found someone who could keep up with me in this joint."

"Babe, it's okay. You can go dance. We can leave after."

"Really?" Callie's face lit up again. Arizona knew she couldn't change her mind now.

Arizona leaned in and have her a quick kiss on the lips. "Of course. Go have fun."

"Okay! I'll be right back. Love you!"

"Love you too." Arizona watched as the other woman took her girlfriend's hand and led her to the dance floor. She watched the two woman dance in awe. The dance was fast paced and complicated. They made everyone else on the floor look like stumbling fools. She wasn't sure if she should be jealous or turned on. Even though she was dancing with another woman, the way Callie moved set Arizona on fire.

"Hot, right?" Arizona turned to find that another woman had joined her and was also watching the couple on the dance floor. She was a short petite red head with crystal clear blue eyes that rivaled Arizona's.

Arizona turned her attention back to her girlfriend. "Yeah, it really is. I've never seen dancing like that before."

"You don't have to worry you know."

"Worry about what?"

"You kind of have a jealous vibe going on."

"Oh. No, I'm not worried. I trust Calliope. I just wish I could make her face light up like that when we danced."

"Two left feet, huh?"

"Exactly."

"Tanya, my wife," the woman pointed towards Callie and her dance partner. "had the misfortune of marrying me. I can't dance to save my life either."

Arizona turned back to the woman. "Ah, I see. I'm Arizona, by the way."

"Ashley. We haven't seen you guys in here before. You two put on quite a show earlier."

Arizona laughed, "Yeah, ran into my ex." They exchange knowing looks. She didn't need to explain any further. "We're just visiting from California."

"That's too bad. Tanya would love to have someone to dance with more often. We come here when she gets the bug. Sometimes she finds someone decent, but when she saw your girl over there dancing she almost wet herself in excitement."

"You're okay with that?"

"Yeah, we've been together for ten years. I love and trust her more than anything. How about you guys? How long have you been together?"

"Almost five month." Arizona smiles fondly. The best five months.

"Really? I would have guessed longer." Arizona and Ashley watched their partners dance for another song. "You know, whenever my wife gets to dance like this, the sex later is amazing. Makes it totally worth it." Ashley smiled when Arizona burst out laughing.

Callie stopped what she was doing and looked toward her girlfriend's magical loud laughter. She was having so much fun on the dance floor, she had lost track of time. She frowned when she saw Arizona laughing with a pretty red head. Tanya noticed she had lost Callie's attention and looked in the direction she was now shooting dagger eyes at. "It's okay, that's my wife, Ashley. You can stop trying to kill her with you eyes now."

"Oh." Callie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I saw what you did for her earlier. She must be very special."

"She really is." Callie smiled proudly. "You two come here often to dance with other women?"

"Not really. Ash is a horrible dancer. She let's me come here to blow off some steam. Sometimes you just have to dance, ya know?"

"I know exactly what you mean. Arizona is not the best either, but she tries. My best friend is pretty decent though. Your wife is okay with you doing this?"

"Yeah, she trusts me. Besides watching me dance with other women makes the sex amazing later."

"Good to know!" Callie laughed. "I think I should probably get going. I promised Arizona I would take her home a few songs ago."

"Yeah, probably a good idea." Tanya took Callie's hand and led them back to their loves. "Hey baby, I see you found Callie's girl."

Ashley pecked her wife on her lips. "Yeah, she was the most jealous looking one. It wasn't hard."

"Aww, babe you were jealous?" Callie wrapped her arm around Arizona's waist and kissed her cheek.

"No!" Arizona glared at Ashley. "I was not."

"I'm going to take you home now. I need to get you alone." Callie raised her eyebrows suggestively. She slid her hand down the blonde's spine and rested it on her butt.

"Told you." Ashley smirked at Arizona as Tanya nibbled on her ear.

"Told you what?"

"Nothing. Let's go. We need to find Teddy. It's was nice meeting you guys. Maybe we can go get coffee when we're still in town."

"Sure, just give me a call." Ashley reached her hand out for Arizona's phone. The blonde pulled it out of her bra and handed it over for her number. "Here, you have some texts."

Arizona took her phone back to read her messages. She found two from Teddy.

**Zoola I'm going consist kiosks for you.**

Arizona frowned. She didn't speak drunken autocorrect. The next text wasn't much better.

**Zona! Fucking Keith umm tired. Is me got go home.**

Callie saw the confusion on Arizona's face. "What is it?"

"I have no idea what these messages say from Teddy." She handed Callie her phone.

"Oh she said she's tired and wants to go home. She's waiting outside."

"How did you get that from these?"

Callie shrugged, "I've gotten enough drunk texts from Mark and Cris. You eventually learn to decipher the autocorrects. Let's go find her and go home."

They found Teddy sitting outside on the curb half asleep. "Come on Teds, let's get a cab." Arizona put her arms under Teddy's armpits and tried to lift her dead weight up. "Calliope help!" The two woman managed to get Teddy stuffed into a cab, seated between them. Both were disappointed they weren't sitting next to each other, since all they really wanted to do was touch each other. But then again, it was probably a good thing. Once they started, they couldn't stop. They've made that mistake once before in the back of a cab. Poor driver got the show of his life.

"How are we going to get her upstairs?" Callie asked.

"I guess we'll have to figure that out when we get there."

"We are here." The cab had just pulled up to Teddy's apartment building.

"Oh, well you push and I'll pull."

They got her out of the cab and into the apartment buildings elevator. Callie couldn't wait anymore and stepped over Teddy's body. She grabbed Arizona by her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Just as she was about to push her tongue into the blonde's mouth, the elevator door opened on Teddy's floor. Arizona quickly squatted down and grabbed Teddy's ankles, while Callie grabbed under her armpits. They found the keys in her pocket and opened the apartment door. They carried her to her bedroom and threw her on her bed. "She's going to be okay, right?" Callie asked, leaning over Teddy's body to make sure she was still breathing.

"Yeah, of course. She used to do this every time we went out." Arizona got Teddy a glass of water and some Advil and left them on her nightstand. "Come on, I'm taking you to bed now."

"You better not have sex in my bed!" Teddy yelled out.

"See, she's alive." Arizona pushed Callie backwards out the bedroom door and straight into the guest bedroom across the hall. She kicked the door shut with her foot and shoved Callie onto the bed. Arizona took off the brunette's heels off and threw them behind her. She started placing kisses up the inside of Callie's luscious long legs.

"Arizona stop. Teddy is right across the hall."

"She's probably passed out already and since when has having someone else in the next room ever stopped you before?" They've had sex many times with Cristina on the other side of a connecting wall. They don't even try to hide it when they do.

"I actually have respect for Teddy. I couldn't care less about Yang." Callie moaned loudly when she felt Arizona bite down on in inner thigh. The blonde ran her hands up under her dress and lightly scraped across the skin of her stomach and ribs with her nails, making Callie squirm under her touch.

Arizona scrunched up the fabric of the red dress, exposing Callie's matching red barely there lacy panties. She inhaled the familiar scent of her girlfriends arousal and ran her tongue flat against the fabric, exhaling in pleasure at the wetness she found seeping through. "Calliope, I don't think you want me to stop." Arizona wanted to climb on top of Callie, but couldn't in the dress she was wearing. She stood up to undress.

"No!" Callie realized what she was doing and sat up. "I want to do it. Undressing you is my favorite part."

"Really? So you can just undress me and then we'd be done and you'd be happy? I don't think I'm okay with that." Arizona loved when Callie took the time to undress her. It was like she was unwrapping her favorite birthday present.

"Okay, maybe it's just one of my favorite parts." Callie turned Arizona around and slowly unzipped her zipper, trailing kisses down her exposed back. She unhooked her bra and took her time to worship the blonde's strong back and shoulders. When Callie wanted to see more, she slipped her girlfriend's dress off and gasped. "You're not wearing underwear."

"Nope."

"You haven't been wearing them the entire night?"

"Nope."

"I'm so glad I didn't know that, we would have never made it home."

Arizona hummed in pleasure and leaned back into Callie as the brunette gently squeezed her breasts together. "That's what I had hoped for, but got distracted by all the ex talk and dancing."

"What do you mean?" Callie stopped her movements and spun the blonde around to look at her. Was Arizona saying what she thought she was saying?

"Nothing, I was just up for a little adventure." Arizona shrugged and gulped when she saw the burning lust flash across chocolate brown eyes. From that look, she knew she was in for a gloriously long night. She yelped when she was suddenly lifted off the ground and thrown on her back on the bed. Before she could regain her bearings, a very naked Callie was positioned in between her legs on top of her. "Calliope, you forgot my shoes."

Callie looked down to the bright red heels she's been dreaming about for two days. "No, I didn't. So, my little exhibitionist, what will it be tonight?" Callie softly moved her lips against Arizona's and slowly pushed her pelvis down once. "Soft and slow?" Callie sucked in the blonde's bottom lip and bit down hard, distracting Arizona from the southward movement of her hand. She ran her fingers through the blonde's wetness before entering her with two fingers, backing her push up with her pelvis. "Or hard and fast?" Callie slowly pulled her fingers out and easily slid them back in, while watching for Arizona's reaction. When she didn't get one, she pulled out again and quickly thrust them back in hard and deep. The motion made Arizona dig her nails in the brunette's back and let out a low guttural growl. Callie smirked and leaned down to capture Arizona's lips in a libidinous kiss.

_Okay, hard and fast it is then._

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**Too tired to think. Catch you guys next time :]**

**Oh, I did want to mention that I put my LJ username on my profile, in case you ever need it. It's just my stories on that one. I'm really bad at updating it though. **


	26. Chapter 24: For you, I will

**I'm really sorry, I totally meant to post this last night, but got a wee bit distracted and forgot. Then I had class this morning. I'm not brave enough yet to post this from school. Haha**

**Health warning: This is mostly full of Dr. McFluffy, but Mr. Drama Llama pays a little visit too. You've been warned ;)**

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Callie woke up with a smile on her face and her girlfriend wrapped around her back. She closed her eyes again, so she could experience the full feeling of Arizona's touch. She let out a content sigh and wiggled her butt to fit herself into the blonde better. Callie lazily smiled when Arizona threw her leg over her own and squeezed her tighter from behind. These were Callie's favorite mornings. Ones where she got to wake up with her girlfriend still in bed with her. Wait a minute. Callie's eyes flew open and she flipped around in Arizona's arms. "Babe! Wake up, you're late." She lightly kissed the blonde's forehead and shook her body. "Arizona! Wake up." She kissed her nose and shook her body again. She still didn't wake up. "Mariposa, it's time to show the world your beautiful smile." Callie slowly kissed her lips until she felt Arizona respond and smile against her. She stopped her kissing and opened her eyes to see sleepy blue ones smiling back at her. "There you are. You should get up, you're late."

"No, I'm not. I took today off." Arizona released her hold on Callie and turned around. "Cuddle me."

"Cuddle you? And what do you mean you took today off?" Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona, spooning her from behind.

"It's our six month anniversary."

"I know, babe. I wish you would have told me. I would have taken it off too." Callie burrowed her face in the blonde's soft hair and inhaled. God she always smells so good.

"You did!"

"I did?" Callie asked hopefully. She loved surprise days off, especially when they involved the blonde.

"Yup!" Arizona nodded her head, accidentally hitting Callie's nose. "You do have to go in for one client though."

"How is that a day off?" Callie whined. She had been excited for a whole second that she didn't have to leave the bed all day.

"Because your client is me." Arizona said, a little unsure of how Callie would take that piece of information. They have been back from New York for about six weeks and neither woman has mentioned it since Arizona had said she wanted it done before the left for the city. They had only stayed for one more day, both deciding they should get back to work, since they ran out on them so fast. So, with a promise to her parents and Teddy that they'd plan a real trip soon, they were back on the plane headed for home.

Callie rolled Arizona towards her and climbed on top of the blonde's warm body. She placed her hands on either side of her head and looked down into Arizona's apprehensive blue eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I'm ready. More than ready. I want this to be your gift to me." Arizona watched Callie's eyes for any sign of... well, anything really. She couldn't get a read on her though. "Calliope, please."

Callie bent her elbows and leaned down to kiss Arizona hard. "Of course, Mariposa. Anything for you."

"Anything? Does that mean I get morning sex?"

Callie laughed, "You never have to ask for morning sex, but I have to go to the bathroom first." She kicked the covers off on to the floor and jumped up to run to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth with mouthwash, she re-entered the bedroom to find Arizona laying on the bed on her back completely naked. Callie smiled mischievously and dove onto the bed. She forced Arizona's legs open, and latched her mouth directly on the blonde's clit.

"Aaaah! Callie stop, stop!" Arizona yanked Callie up by the hair. "What the hell? It's burning!"

"Burning?"

"What did you do?" Arizona cupped her mound with her hands and rocked back and forth on the bed. "My vagina is on fire."

"Um..?" Callie licked her lips and frowned. When she realized what happened she started to chuckle deeply. "Oh my god, babe. I'm so sorry." She continued to laugh, on the verge of hysterics.

"You're sorry? You don't sound sorry?" Arizona smacked Callie's head. "Stop laughing! It's not funny."

"I can't help it." Callie rolled into her back and crossed her arms over her stomach. It hurt from laughing so hard.

"Calliope! What did you do?" Arizona's clit was still on fire and she was pissed her girlfriend wasn't taking her seriously.

"I rinsed my mouth out with Listerine before coming out here and forgot to rinse with water after." Callie started laughing again. "I'm sorry!"

Arizona couldn't help but laugh with her. Her girlfriends carefree laugh was infectious. She could see how this would be funny once her clit calmed down. "I hate you."

"And I love you." Callie repositioned herself on top of the blonde. "You know, you've made this the best six months of my life. I'm hoping for many more of them."

"How many more?" Arizona grabbed Callie's neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

"Infinite." Callie whispered against the blonde's lips.

"Me too." Arizona felt the brunette smile against her and pushed on her chest to get her to back off a little, so she could look into the brown eyes she fell in love with. "I know I say this a lot, but thank you. Thank you for finding me."

"Even when you didn't want to be found, right?"

"Exactly." Arizona grinned and turned her head to the side. The intense way Callie was studying her was making her squirm.

"It's only nine right now. If we go down to the shop. I could probably get it done before anyone shows up, so we can have privacy."

"No, I want to do it with everyone there. I made my appointment for noon and I'm sticking to it."

Callie grabbed Arizona's face and forced her to look at her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Arizona purred when Callie started to place wet kisses down her neck. "How do you always feel so good?"

"Magic." Callie giggled when Arizona swiftly rolled them over.

"Oh my god, did I just hear Calliope Torres giggle?"

"No! I do not giggle!"

"That definitely was a giggle." Arizona ghosted her fingers down Callie's sides, where she knew the brunette was ticklish. Callie squirmed and giggled underneath her. "See! You did it again!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Callie tried to hold in another one when the blonde tickled her side again. It came out as a loud snort. "Stop!"

"But, you're so adorable!"

"I am not adorable!" Callie tried to roll then back over, but Arizona used her strength to hold her in place. The blonde pinned Callie's hands over her head and grinned down at her. She wiggled her way in between Callie's legs.

"So, we have three hours until my appointment. What do you think we should do to pass the time?" Arizona ground her pelvis down against Callie's center.

"Mmmm... um, well we should probably eat."

"I'll definitely be eating." Arizona leaned down and took Callie's earlobe in between her teeth.

Callie moaned, "Maybe get some coffee?"

"I've got something better than coffee." Arizona ground her hips down again and smiled when Callie tried to thrust her hips up to match her. The blonde backed up before she could make contact.

"Arizona..." Callie growled.

"Yeah?" Arizona asked innocently.

"I want you."

"You want me where?"

Callie planted her feet on the bed a pushed up hard. "There."

"Where?"

Callie ripped her hands away from Arizona's grasp. She ran her right hand down slowly her own body, stopping to pinch her nipple, and continuing into her own underwear. "Here."

Arizona looked down in between their bodies to where Callie's hand disappeared to. Her eyes widened when Callie started to moan and writhe underneath her at her own touch. She looked at the brunette's face and found her lust filled brown eyes watching her. "Calliope."

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Callie panted out.

"It looks like you're stealing all my fun."

"What are you going to do about it?" Callie pushed two fingers inside of herself and moaned. She pumped in and out a few times before returning to circling her clit. "You're right, babe. I'm am pretty good at this."

Arizona was torn between finishing Callie off herself or letting the brunette bring herself to her release. Both were very appealing options. As the brunette started to buck harder against her, she decided to compromise. Arizona swooped down and captured the brunette's lips in a passionate kiss. She thrust her hips against the brunette's hand, putting more pressure on her clit. Callie started to moan steadily into her mouth, making Arizona wetter than she already was. She tore her lips away from Callie's and immediately moved down to take a nipple between her lips. She felt Callie's hand moving faster and faster between them and the brunette's breathing become heavier and heavier. A hand tangled in her hair and pushed her down harder onto the breast she was sucking on. She took the hint and bit down hard on the erect nipple, causing Callie to buck widely beneath her. Arizona released her nipple and looked at Callie's concentrated face. "What are you thinking about when you're doing that?"

Callie opened her eyes and tried to focus in on the blonde. "Wha?" She couldn't really think or talk right now. She was kind of busy.

"I was just wondering what you were thinking when you touch yourself."

"You." Callie panted out. "I'm thinking about you."

"What about me?" Arizona kissed and nipped her way down Callie's neck, being careful not to leave any marks.

"I'm thinking about the way you look when I fuck you. The cute noises you make. The way you squirm underneath me as you completely lose control under my touch."

"You like to be in control, don't you?" Arizona bit along Callie's chest. She didn't care if she left makes here, as long as there were below the neckline of some of Callie's shirts.

"Y-yeah." Callie nodded. "Arizona, I'm getting close." She let out a long low moan when the blonde latched herself onto her other nipple. She dipped her fingers deep inside herself before focusing her attention back on her clit and quickening her pace. She felt Arizona thrusting against her hard. That combined with what her own hand was doing made a delicious combo of pressure and stimulation. When she felt like she was about to come, she grabbed Arizona by the hair and steered her to her lips. She knew how much the blonde liked her to moan into her mouth as she came. As soon as she entered Arizona's mouth with her tongue, she felt herself coming undone against her fingers. She moaned deeply against the blonde's tongue. Arizona felt Callie start to stiffen below her and thrust even harder against her hand. Callie pulled away form their kiss, desperate to catch her breath. "Arizona, I'm coming." She managed to get out before she was hit with her self imposed orgasm. Callie hissed and squirmed as the waves spread through her body. She slowed down her pace before coming to a complete stop. Arizona grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of her underwear, sticking the brunettes fingers in her mouth. She sucked on them as she observed the self satisfied smug grin creep across Callie's face.

"Proud of yourself, aren't you?" Arizona asked.

"Mmmhmm." Callie reached out for the blonde's head and kissed her deeply, moaning at her taste on Arizona's lips. She managed to roll them over and smirked down at her girlfriend. "We still have two hours and thirty five minutes. Any ideas on what to do now?"

"Nope. None." Watching and feeling Callie pleasure herself underneath her, made Arizona's arousal levels skyrocket to a whole new height. "Actually I have a few things in mind, but not sure what we should do first."

"Well, I'm hungry." Callie started to kiss her way down Arizona's body to finish what she started earlier. "I'll just have a little snack while you decide."

* * *

"Oh god, really? It's barely noon." Cristina said when she saw Callie and Arizona walk in Evangeline's hand in hand. Both woman wearing matching 'I just had sex' faces. "I swear if either one of you had a penis it would have fallen off by now."

"Yang, leave those two women alone." Bailey warned.

"Yes, ma'am." Cristina plopped down in her chair. She hated the power Bailey had over her. No matter how much she tried to fight it, the piercer always won. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had today off to celebrate an anniversary that's not really an anniversary."

Callie looked at Arizona, silently asking if she wanted her to explain or if Arizona would be doing it. "Calliope is going to tattoo me."

"Really? How did she talk you into that?"

"She didn't. I talked her into it."

"That's surprising since I know how much she loves tattooing virgin skin. I thought she'd jump at the chance of doing you."

"It's not my first time."

"Ah, Roller Girl has been holding out on us. I'm going to guess either a cupcake, rainbow, or unicorn on your ass."

"Yang!" Bailey yelled, making Cristina sit up straighter.

"Sorry." She mumbled. "So, what do you have? Can I see?" Curiosity won over anything else for Cristina at this point.

Before she had a chance to change her mind, Arizona let go of Callie's hand and pulled off her shirt revealing a hot pink sports bra. She turned away from Cristina and Bailey so they could see her back. She smirked when she saw Callie blatantly staring at her sculpted torso. She saw Callie's hand twitch, like she really wanted to reach out and touch her, but she was holding herself back. "Later." She whispered and gave the brunette a wink.

"Holy shit!" Cristina jumped up from her chair to get a closer look. She reached out and touched one of the butterflies. "So not what I was expecting."

"Very nice, Robbins." Bailey remained seated at her station. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Thanks?" Arizona was getting weirded out by the way Cristina was running her fingers over her back. "Um, Cristina. You're touching me."

Cristina halted her movements. She was so distracted by the art, she hadn't even realized she was doing it. "Umm.. sorry. I guess this is alright. A little girly for me."

"Cris, this is a Tim Robbins original! It's more than alright. It's amazing." Callie spun Arizona around by the shoulders so she could look at her back. Of course she's seen it a million times before. She has kissed and licked every single butterfly and flower and memorized every little detail while the blonde slept. But here in in the shop, under the bright lights, the tattoo took on a whole new vibrancy against Arizona's creamy skin. She wrapped her arms around Arizona's waist and kissed her bare shoulder. "God I love you."

Arizona sank back into the brunette's embrace and smiled. "I love you too, Calliope."

"I don't know what's going on in here, but I like it." Mark said as he entered the shop with Lexie under his arm. They had walked in to see Callie hugging a shirtless Arizona and Cristina staring at the two women. "I'd like it even more if Yang wasn't here though." That earned him a punch to the arm by his girlfriend. "Ow! Those boney little fingers hurt." Lexie just glared at him.

"Suck it Sloan." Cristina went back to her chair and pulled out her phone. She had about an hour to kill before her first client of the day showed up.

"So, ladies. What's going on?" Mark smirked at Callie. "It's not everyday I walk into my shop and find this." He waved his hands at Callie and Arizona.

Callie felt Arizona take a deep breath before the blonde turned herself in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Callie's neck and inhaled the calming scent of her girlfriend. Callie hugged her waist closer to comfort her. "You okay?" She whispered into the blonde's ear. There were now a lot of people now staring at her previously secret tattoo and Callie hoped Arizona could hold it together. She felt Arizona nod her head and smiled. "Good. Just tell me if you need me to do anything, okay?" The blonde nodded again.

"Woah, Blondie. Where did that come from?" Mark looked at Callie who shook her head slightly. He followed her eyes to the wall of the shop where they had Tim's artwork displayed. "Oh... Oh!" He looked back to the tattoo on the blonde's skin. "It's not finished?"

Arizona released her hold on her girlfriend. "That's why we're here. Calliope is going to finish it for me." She took Callie's hand and squeezed.

Mark could see the nerves in Callie's eyes. "Cal, you're going to do great."

"That's what I keep telling her!" Arizona squeezed her hand again and stood on her tip toes to kiss her cheek.

"Arizona it's really beautiful." Lexie said.

"Thanks, Lexie." Arizona smiled at her friend. Even though she didn't think to invite her to come, she was really glad she was here for this. "Can we get started now? I'm getting cold."

"Of course, babe. Let me just get set up. You can go wait in my chair." Callie went to her office to grab Tim's drawing off her desk. She also grabbed the case with Tim's machine in it. She's been waiting for this moment to use it for the first time.

Arizona watched Callie bring over the case and drawing and sent them on the table. "Is that Tim's?" She had recognized the case immediately.

"It is. Is that okay? I thought it would be fitting to use the same gun that started it." She watched blue eyes fill with tears and went to hug Arizona. "I'm sorry I should have asked first. I'll just put it away." She went to grab it, but the blonde stopped her.

"No, I want you to use it. I just..." Arizona smiled and softly kissed Callie's lips. "You're just so thoughtful. I don't know how to react sometimes."

"Well get used to it, baby." Callie laughed and kissed Arizona back. She stood up and positioned her privacy screen next to her work station. It wasn't big enough to surround them, so she went around the room and stole Mark's and Cristina's too. She placed them all around her area, creating a mini private room within the shop. Callie saw Arizona giving her an amused look. "What? You're going to have to take that bra off and be shirtless for quite awhile. No one gets to see that but me. Now stand up, so I can readjust the chair." She lightly slapped Arizona's ass when she stood up next to her. She adjusted the controls on the chair, so it laid flat like a table. "Okay, hop on." Callie turned to face Arizona and squeaked when she noticed the blonde had removed her bra and was now half naked. "Umm..."

"What's that matter, Calliope?" Arizona stepped closer to her girlfriend and grabbed her hand. She placed it over her bare breast. "Cat got your tongue?" She gasped quietly when she felt Callie squeeze and involuntary left out a soft moan when the brunette bent over and took her other nipple with her lips. "Is this how you treat all your clients? Because I may have a problem with that."

"Only the hot ones who can make me come so hard I think I'm going to explode." Callie picked Arizona up and put her on the table. She leaned down to place hot kisses across her chest.

"These screens aren't soundproof you know!" Callie and Arizona froze at Bailey's voice very close to them. "Damn fools can't even keep it in their pants for a second. This place is out of control. Why did I agree to this? I must have lost my damned mind." Bailey mumbled loudly as she walked back to her station. The two women could hear Mark and Cristina snickering. "What are you two idiots laughing at! You're not much better! Bunch of grown ass adults acting like out of control teenagers."

Callie and Arizona stared into each others eyes before starting to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh my god." Arizona whispered through her giggles. She rested her head on Callie's shoulder in front of her.

"You started it! Now I have to sit here and tattoo you when I'm horny as hell."

"Just so you know, the thought of you working your tattoo magic on me has got me all sorts of turned on, so it won't be much better for me."

"Arizooonaaa!" Callie whined. "Why did you have to tell me that. It did not help me at all. It just made it worse."

Arizona shrugged. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"Shut up and lay down." Callie roughly pushed Arizona down on her back.

"Oooo feisty, I like."

"Arizona! I swear to god, I will leave you here alone."

"That's okay, I can take care of myself." Arizona rubbed her hand on the outside of her jeans.

Callie grabbed her head and pushed it away. "What the hell has gotten in to you?"

"You. You have gotten in to me. I can't help it!" Arizona and Callie both turned to the spot in the screen they had just heard a snort come from. Callie placed her pointer finger over her lips, telling Arizona to be quiet. She quietly walked over to where the noise came from and punched the screen, making it hit Mark right in the face.

"Ow! What's with the violence today?"

"You deserved that Sloan!" Bailey called from the other side of the room.

"I did not!"

"Yes you did! Now don't distract me, I'm busy." Callie said through the screen. She turned back to Arizona. "Will you please turn over now?" The blonde's naked breasts were making it very difficult for Callie to concentrate.

"Fine." Arizona flipped herself over and crossed her arms under her head. She watched as Callie took out a razor and cream. "Hey, I'm not hairy!"

"Everyone's a little bit hairy." Callie spread a thin layer of cream and got to work. "You know, I usually have George do this, but you're special."

"Oh good. Now I can say the great Calliope Torres shaved my back."

"Damn right." Callie finished up and cleaned up her back. She clipped up Tim's art onto one if the screens, so she could see it easily. "So, I'm just going to freehand this, if that's okay."

"I trust you Calliope. Do whatever you need to do." Arizona continued to watch Callie as she pulled out various tools and ink colors. The cute concentrated face of her girlfriend made Arizona smile. She loved the way the brunette's tongue barely peaked out of her mouth when she was 100% focused on something. Callie made the same face when she was about to orgasm. "You're cute when you're working." She laughed when Callie gave her a dirty look. "I'm sorry. You're totally hot and sexy when you're working. Better?"

"Yes." Callie stood up and kissed Arizona one last time before sitting back down and putting on her gloves to sanitize the area. When she was done, she replaced her gloves with new ones and picked up Tim's machine. She dipped it in the black ink and positioned herself over the blonde's black. "Ready for this?"

"I am. Are you?"

Callie stared down at the machine in her hand. She has tattooed many of her very close friends, even her sister, but she has never done something as nerve wracking as this. This was, without a doubt, the most important tattoo of her life. Even the one she did on herself of Eva didn't come close to comparison. She knew how big of a deal this was for Arizona and the complete faith the blonde has in her, laying out on her table, exposed and vulnerable made Callie's heart swell. She really didn't think she could love Arizona more, but in this moment she knew she was wrong. Callie trusted Arizona more than anyone and if the blonde believed in her abilities, then Callie did too. "I am more than ready."

"Then let's do this." Arizona didn't even flinch when she felt the needle on her back. She knew Callie could do this and she was ready to have it finally complete so she could show of to the world the amazing work of her brother and girlfriend combined.

Callie worked in silence, taking a few glances at Arizona's face to make sure she was okay. The blonde just looked calm each time she checked. "You know, Mariposa. I'm already addicted to your skin. I might have to convince you to let me do this more." Arizona didn't say anything in response. Callie checked her face again to see if she was even awake. She found the blonde's eyes were closed, but she was smiling. "What's going on up there?"

"Well... I have been thinking that I want to get a calla lilly or a few." When she felt Callie's gun stop she lifted her head and turned it to find the brunette studying her intently. "What?"

"Calla lilies?"

"Yes. Calla lilies."

"Why?"

Judging by the look Callie was giving her the brunette knew exactly why. Arizona put her head back down on her arms. "Because I wanted a piece of you and they will always remind me of you."

"Arizona, I-"

"No, I know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me it's too soon to do something so permanent, but it's not like that. Even if we did break up, which will never ever happen if I can help it, I still want to have that piece of you. You will always be the one who saved me. The one who brought me back. You will always be my first real true love. Nothing will ever change those things. No matter what you'll always be a part of me and the flower would just be a visible reminder. So, if you rather I wait five, ten, or twenty years to get it when we're still together, then fine. I'll wait. I'll still what it then just as much as I want it now."

"Mariposa, look at me." Callie waited for

Arizona's eyes to meet hers again. "That's not what I was going to say."

"It wasn't?"

"No, not even close."

"Oh... I need to not jump to conclusions."

"You think?"

"Are you going to tell me what you were really going to say?"

"Maybe, if you stop talking." Callie grinned when Arizona rolled her eyes at her. "What I was trying to say, before someone so rudely interrupted me was that I had been thinking about doing the same thing for pretty much the same reasons."

"But you already have calla lilies?"

"Not that, you goof! I was going to get another feather."

"You think I'm feather worthy?" Arizona beamed.

"Arizona, you're worth more than just a feather."

"What color?"

"Pink."

"You would actually put pink on your body?"

"For you, I will."

"You know that I don't actually like pink that much."

"It's not about what you like. It's about how I feel. Pink is kind of a mixture of red and white. I love the intense passion, desire, and deep love of the color red and the calm tranquil, light, and goodness white represents. Pink is a good balanced mix of both those colors and can also mean great romance and friendship. You have brought all of those things into my life, Mariposa."

"Wow, you really have thought this through." Arizona face was hurting from how much Callie could make her smile. She really has turned into a love sick goober.

"Of course I did. Once it's there, it won't be coming off."

"You really want to do that?"

"I really do, but we're going to wait."

"Okay, we'll wait."

Callie returned to her work. Each woman remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts of each other. After an hour, Callie stopped. "Are you okay? Do you need a break?"

"Sure, I'd like to stretch out a bit. Can I stand up?"

"Yeah, just be careful. Do you want to see what I've done so far?" Callie went to grab the mirror.

"No, I'll wait for the grand finale."

"Hey ladies, can I come in?"

Arizona took the towel Callie handed her and covered up her front. "Sure, Mark."

Mark slid one of the screens to the side and poked his head in. "Wow, Cal. It's looking great. Blondie, you sure are lucky."

"Trust me, I know. I tell myself that every night before I go to sleep." Arizona grinned at Callie.

Mark glanced between the two women, who wore matching sappy smiles. He knew he was about to pop their little bubble they've created. "Callie..."

Callie looked at Mark in alarm. He rarely called her Callie and his voice and face didn't hide the fact something was wrong. "What Mark, spit it out."

"There's a bit of a problem up front."

"Can't you handle it? It's technically my day off and I'm sort of busy here."

"I tried! Trust me. Even Bailey tried, but your mother is a very stubborn woman!" Callie and Arizona's mouths dropped open at the word mother. "If Bailey can't get rid of her, then we're going to have to burn the building down."

"Mark Sloan, please tell me you didn't just say my mother is here."

"I wish I could, Cal."

"Son of a bitch! Why today? Why right now?" Callie's mother had a special talent for ruining good things at just the right time, it seemed. "She's just going to have to wait. Arizona is all that matters right now." She could fell her anger taking over her body. "Fuck..."

"Calliope, you're shaking." Arizona moved to hug the brunette, but remembered at the last minute that her hands were the only thing holding up her towel. "You should go talk to her. At least see what she wants."

"No, I don't want her to ruin our anniversary day."

"She can't ruin it without your consent. She only has as much power over you as you let her. Go out there, be your confidant self, and see what she wants. Then she'll leave and we'll pick up where we left off. I'm not going to let her ruin my day and you shouldn't either."

"You're right." Callie grinned when Arizona kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back." Callie slipped out of their little oasis and easily found her mother standing by the front door. She had to laugh at how uncomfortable and out if place she looked. Callie made eye contact with her and signaled for her to follow her into her office. She didn't know how this was going to go and she didn't need the entire shop to witness it. She sat behind her desk and Lucia took one of the empty chairs. "What do you want, Mother?"

"Don't call me that. You sound like Aria. I'm your Mama."

"Not anymore you're not. You haven't been for a very long time. What are you doing here? You should have called."

"I don't know." Lucia looked hurt and lost. Something that took Callie by surprised. It almost made Callie soften up. Only almost though. She knew her manipulative mother was probably just messing with her. "I didn't have your number to call and I don't even know where you live." Lucia couldn't believe she didn't have her own daughter's number or address. She didn't know how she had failed so badly as a mother.

"When will you know, because I'm kind of busy here. I do have an actual job. Something you know nothing about."

"Calliope, this isn't a real job."

"If you've just come here to insult me, then you can get the hell out." Callie internally smiled when she saw her mother visibly flinch. Maybe she did have the upper hand for once.

"My beautiful daughter, you never used to be this harsh with me. What happened?" Lucia jumped when her daughter slammed both hands down on her desk.

"What happened?! What happened?! What kind of delusional fucked up world do you live in Mother?!"

"Do not use that kind of language with me!"

"I'm an adult! This is my shop! My office! I can say whatever the hell I want." Callie tried to calm her breathing. This was not how she meant for this to go. She though of her half naked girlfriend waiting for her back in the shop. Okay, now she was good.

"I know that, but you should still show respect for your own mother."

"I lost the small amount of remaining respect I had for you the night you insulted my girlfriend."

"Are you and that woman still friendly?"

"Her name is Arizona and she is still my girlfriend and will be until the day I make her my wife." Callie surprised herself by that statement. Of course she wanted to marry Arizona, but she's never said it out loud.

"Wife? You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious."

"That woman can not-"

"Arizona." Callie interrupted. "Her name is Arizona and she's my girlfriend."

"Calliope, I-"

"Say it! Say her name, Mother. Say she's my girlfriend. Not my friend. Not 'that woman'. My girlfriend who I love romantically. Who I kiss and have sex with like any other normal couple who are in a loving commited relationship. Just like you and daddy. Just like Aria and Dana. There is no difference. Say it."

"I can't." Lucia stared down at her hands in her lap.

"Then we're done here." Callie stood up and tried to walk to the door to leave, but Lucia grabbed her hand to stop her. Even after all these years and after all their fights, her mother's touch still had a calming effect on the brunette.

"Calliope please. I didn't come here to fight. I didn't mean for it to be like this."

"What did you come here for?" Callie didn't move from her spot facing the door.

"I came here to try and understand."

"Understand what?"

"Your father has left me." Lucia chocked out.

Callie whipped around to face her mother. She didn't actually believe her father would go through with his threat. She has never seen her mother so broken before. Not even when Eva passed away. She always kept her strong front up when Aria and Callie were around. Callie moved back to her seat and slowly lowered herself into it. As much as she wanted to comfort her mother, she didn't think the woman deserved it. "Oh, Mama... I'm sorry."

"He has been living in his hotel for over a month. Your sister won't return my calls. My granddaughter doesn't want anything to do with me. Everyone I love just keeps telling me how wrong I am. I think it's time I start to listen to them. Maybe then your father will come home. I know I don't always show it, but I do love him dearly and miss him. The house is so empty without him." Lucia put her head in her hands and started to cry.

Seeing her stubborn cold hearted mother break down in front of her was making Callie uneasy. "So you're here to try to get Papa back?"

"No, well yes. I want all of you back. I miss my family. I miss having a warm house full of love. It feels so big, empty, and cold now. I know I can't get Evangeline back, but you're still here. You're alive and well and I've missed out on so much of your life. I don't even know where you live! Or even what makes you happy or sad. A mother should know these things!"

"I live upstairs and Arizona makes me the happiest I've ever been. My own mother not wanting anything to do with me or my girlfriend just because of who we are? That makes me the saddest." Callie watched her mother as she let what she said sink in.

"Calliope, I'm so sorry. I didn't know I was hurting you so deeply."

"How could you not know?"

"Maybe deep down I did, but I didn't want to believe I could actually hurt my own daughter that much."

"Well you did. And if you think you can just come in here and apologize and that I'd just forgive you easy as that and then we'd go back to being a big happy family again, then you're more delusional than I thought."

"I don't think that. I know it's not going to be easy. Please, Calliope, just let me try. You gave your father that chance, I'm just asking for a chance too."

Callie studied her mother's face. A face so much like her own. Maybe she should get Arizona in here to read it for her. The blonde had the annoying ability to tell whatever she was thinking. She did find something different there than she has seen over the past few years. Instead of the cold hardness, she could almost see the soft warmness of her mother's eyes from when she was a little girl. Callie sighed deeply. She couldn't believe she was doing this. "The first thing you're going to do is apologize to Arizona."

"I can do that."

"Really?" Callie had not expected her mother to agree to that so quickly.

"Your father thinks very highly of her and I trust his opinion. Alexa won't stop talking about her either. I realize I may have been a little harsh to her and was going to apologize on my own anyway."

"Okay then you're gong to come to Arizona's house tomorrow night for dinner. Daddy's driver knows where it is."

"I'll call your father to see if he's free. Maybe Aria can come too "

"No, you're going to come alone. No hiding behind everyone else."

"Just you, me, and..." Lucia trailed off.

"Arizona." Why was it so hard for her mother to say her name?

"Just you, me, and Ar-Arizona?"

"Yes. That's your only option. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it. What time?" Lucia was grateful for a chance. She had thought for sure her daughter was going to throw her out in the street. She also knew that her Calliope had a bigger heart than that.

"Six." Arizona was not going to be happy about this. Callie stared at Lucia. She had nothing else to say.

"I will see you at six then." Lucia stood up. She wanted to hug her daughter, but she made no move to stand up and show her out. "Goodbye, Calliope."

"Bye, Mama." As soon as Lucia disappeared, Callie slammed her forehead down on her desk. "Ow." She let out a deep breath and went to find Arizona. The blonde was back on the table and laying out on her stomach reading a book. A piece of plastic lightly covering the work in progress on her back. "Hey, babe I'm sorry that took so long."

Arizona dropped her book onto the floor. "It's okay. How did it go?"

"Wasn't as horrible as I thought, but I don't want to talk about it right now. I want to focus on you and your gorgeous back."

"Okay, but we're talking about it later."

"Of course." Callie kissed Arizona passionately to clear the past twenty minutes out of her head. "Let's finish this."

Arizona could only nod. The kiss Callie had just given her stole her voice. She watched Callie start the process over and settled her head in her arms. They still had a long way to go. She could feel her eyes start to droop and she yawned. For some reason getting tattooed made her sleepy. After two sessions with her brother, she already knew what to expect. Callie was different though. She was more gentle and her fingers caressed across Arizona's skin in a way the blonde hoped she only did for her, since it was borderline inappropriate for a regular client. They didn't talk much. Just some random comments here and there. They didn't really need to talk. From the very beginning of their relationship, they had established that easy silence you fall into when you are truly comfortable with someone. Arizona did wiggle a little when Callie had to shade in a large spot along the sensitive part of the blonde's side.

"Try not to move, babe. I'm almost done." It's been three hours and Callie's back was starting to ache. "Are you excited to see it?"

"I am! This better be worth it." Arizona teased.

"Of course it will be. I am the best." Callie teased back. She stopped the gun and stood up to get a better look at the full picture. "I'll have to go back and do a little touch up here and there when your healed, but it's pretty much down." Callie cleaned off the excess ink and blood and stepped back to exam her work.

"How's it look?" Arizona tried to peek over her shoulder to see, but it didn't really work.

"Pretty damn good." Callie grinned. She had done it and it looked even more amazing than it did before. "Want to see now?" Arizona nodded her head vigorously. "Okay, we'll have to go to the bigger mirror out there. Here's your towel to cover up. Do you mind?"

"Nope." Arizona was not at all shy about her body. She worked hard on it. You kind of have to if all you do is eat cake and cookies for a living. She took the towel and jumped off the table. Callie followed closely behind her. Both women ignored the eyes watching them move to the mirror. Callie grabbed a smaller mirror, so Arizona could see the reflection of her back.

"You ready?" Callie asked when the blonde's back was facing the mirror. She was suddenly very nervous about what her girlfriend's reaction would be. Callie had taken to liberty to touch up and highlight the old butterflies to make them pop out even more. She tried to do her best work on every client that walks through the door, but this was hands down her best and favorite. She just hoped Arizona agreed.

"Yes!" Arizona was getting impatient. She needed to see it and needed to see it right now. When Callie held up the mirror in front of her she stared into dumbfounded. What her girlfriend had done to her back was beyond anything she had imagined. She had taken what her brother had done and improved it far greater than she thought was possible, since it already looked so good before. Arizona could feel Callie's eyes watching her, waiting for any kind of reaction. She looked up to meet the apprehensive brown eyes and started to cry.

Callie slumped her shoulders and dropped the mirror at her feet. "You hate it." She was surprised when Arizona threw her arms around her neck, forgetting about the fact they were holding up her towel. "Arizona! The towel!" Callie glared around the room daring anyone to even think about looking at her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, being careful not to touch the fresh ink. She carefully steered them backwards to the privacy screens. "Arizona, what the hell?

Arizona squeezed her arms tighter around Callie's neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She whispered into the brunette's hair.

"So you do like it?"

"Calliope, I love it!"

"Really?"

"Really, really. I knew you'd do it justice, but you went beyond my expectations. I can't wait to show everybody." Arizona released her arms from around Callie's neck and kissed her lips. "I promise I love it."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me. Let's get you wrapped up and then I'm taking you home. I'm making you dinner." Callie wrapped Arizona's back and helped her back into her shirt. She was going to have to forget the bra now. Something that was perfectly fine with Callie. "George! Clean that shit up, I'm taking my lady home!" She yelled as she pulled Arizona out the door.

* * *

Callie had just tasted a spoon of pesto when she felt something small hit her in the back of her leg. She looked down, but didn't see anything. She decided the pesto was perfect and put the spoon down. She felt another something hit her leg. "Arizona?" She called. Earlier, Callie had kicked the blonde out of the kitchen when she had dropped a raw chicken breast on the floor. She turned around again when something else hit her. This time when she looked down she saw a trail of Sonny's favorite cat treats leading out the kitchen door. "Arizona, what are you doing?!" Before she could follow the trail, Sonny came skidding into the kitchen. He stopped to eat his treats that we're scattered around the kitchen floor. Callie saw that he had a small box strapped to his back and laughed. She squatted down and pet Sonny's head. "This trick was so much cuter when you were a kitten." Callie took took the box off and ripped it open. She lifted the piece of paper off the top and read it.

_Move in with me_.

Callie grinned, looked in the box and found what she assumed was Arizona's house key. Of course she wanted to move in with Arizona. They practically lived together already anyway. "Arizona! Where are you?!" Callie found her girlfriend sitting on the stairs with Sonny on her lap. "So Sonny, how would you like it if Tinkerbell was your roommate?"

"Is that a yes?" Arizona asked hopefully. She was pretty sure Callie wouldn't say no, but she was still nervous.

"You didn't ask me a question. Seemed more like a command."

"Calliope Torres, will you and Tink move in with Sonny and me?"

"Before I say yes, I have to tell you something in case you want to change your mind."

Arizona frowned. What could Callie possibly have to say that would make her change her mind? "Okay?"

"I kind of, sort of, maybe invited my mom to have dinner with us here tomorrow night."

"You, me, and your mother? Here? Alone?"

"Yes..."

"Well that's two against one. We could take her." Arizona smiled and pulled Callie closer to her. "I'm okay with your mom coming to our house."

Callie looked into Arizona's sparkling blue eyes. "Our house?"

_Our house_.

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

I may or may not have had that Listerine thing happen to me and it may or may not have burned like a bitch.

If you're into paranormal romance crap, feel free to check out my new story, Do You See What I See? I think it will be a good time.

My classes are going well so far, in case you wondered. If anyone wants to do my homework for me, I can write faster. I kid, I kid... kind of.


	27. Chapter 25: Makes me awesome

"These people are infuriating!" Callie threw one of the grapes she was eating at the tv. "Idiots."

"Calliope, can you not throw food at my very expensive television?" Watching Callie watch House Hunters amused Arizona greatly.

"At least it wasn't the clicker again." Callie laughed. She had been upset by a bad call made by a referee in a football game and tried to throw the clicker at the guys head. Luckily she missed the tv and hit the wall, shattering the remote into little pieces. "I'm still really sorry about that by the way."

"Why are we even watching this? It always makes you mad."

"Because I can't stop!" Callie focused back on the tv. "Omg, just paint the fucking walls! Takes like an hour!" Arizona grabbed her wrist before she threw another grape.

"I'm going to ban you from eating and watching tv. It's too messy." Arizona turned back to the tv. "This woman is such a spoiled whiny brat. I have no idea how that realtor hasn't punched her in the face yet." Without realizing it she picked up one of Callie's grapes and threw it at the woman's head.

"Who's the messy one now!" Callie laughed and scooted closer to the blonde. "I'm going to like living with you." She kissed Arizona's cheek and rested her head on her shoulder. "What one do you think they're going to pick? I think number three."

"No, definitely number one. It was the better choice for their money."

"Nooooo!" Both woman yelled and threw the rest of the grapes at the tv when the couple on the show picked house number two.

"Aw man now I'm out of food." Callie pouted.

Arizona stood up and pecked Callie's lips. "I'll get you some more. We can only watch one more though. We still need to go to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner with your mom tonight."

"Ugh, why did you have to remind me?"

"Sorry, babe. It's coming whether you accept it or not."

"Yeah, yeah." Callie rolled her eyes and smiled as she watched Arizona bounce toward the kitchen. It was the day after their six month anniversary and they had spent their Monday morning off together lounging around on the couch.

Arizona came back in and handed her girlfriend another bowl of grapes. "These stay in the bowl or go in your mouth. That's it."

"Yes, ma'am." Callie stuck a grape in her mouth. "How's your back? Need me to put more ointment on it?"

"Are you just trying to get me topless?"

Callie raised her eyebrows and ate another grape. "Mmmaybe."

"It's okay for now." Arizona plopped down next to Callie. "So where are they this time?"

"Seattle."

"Ooo, I've always wanted to visit there!"

"Me too. We should go."

"Right, Calliope, because we have so much extra time and money."

"Well, I do have the money."

"Oh yeah, I always forget that." Arizona smiled. She loved how down to earth her girlfriend was. She could easily be a rich, snobby bitch who just sits around and does nothing with her life. Instead she chooses to work and only spends her money when absolutely necessary or on things that better someone else's life. "You're amazing."

"Where'd that come from?" The look of love Arizona was giving her, made Callie's heart flutter.

Arizona shrugged, "What? I can't tell my girlfriend she's amazing?"

"Of course you can." Callie leaned over to kiss the blonde's lips. "You're amazing too."

"I know." Arizona popped a grape in her mouth and grinned when Callie slapped her arm. Both women managed to finish the rest of the show without anymore grapes flying.

"Do you think your mom would mind if I re-did the kitchen a little? I mean, it's fine how it is, but I'd at least like to replace the appliances and convert the stove to gas." Callie asked. She actually had much bigger plans than that for the space.

"Wow gutting my mother's house already. You're aren't even moved in yet."

"Is that a no?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine with it. I'll call her later and ask."

"Thanks. We should go. I still need to go to storage and switch cars."

"Excuse me?"

Callie forgot that in the six months they've been dating she's never told Arizona about her small collection of cars. "There wasn't a lot of parking at my apartment, so I'm borrowing some space from a friend to store them."

"How many?"

"Just three."

"Why do you need four cars?"

"Because they're pretty."

"Okay... Why do we have to go switch cars?"

"When my grandfather died he also left me his old thunderbird. I thought my mom would like to see it."

"What else do you have?"

"You'll see." Callie grinned. She loved her cars and she should really take them out more often. They kind of stuck out in the small moderate town they lived in.

"Okay, now I'm intrigued. Let's go." Arizona pulled Callie up off the couch.

Callie pulled up to what looked like an abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere. "Umm, Calliope. Where are we?"

"Meredith's property. Her house is right over there."

Arizona squinted in the direction Callie was pointing. Sure enough there was a large house off in the distance. "It doesn't look very secure out here."

"It is." Callie entered a code into the keypad by the side of the barn door. The door swung slowly open automatically.

"This is all very dramatic." Arizona said as she watched the doors open up to a brightly lit space. She was disappointed to see three car covers instead of three cars. Kind of ruined the grand reveal. She walked over to the closest one and put her hand on the edge of the cover. "May I?"

"Not that one. Save that one for last." Callie pointed to the one in the middle. "Do that one, it's the not that exciting."

Arizona pulled the cover of the largest vehicle off to reveal a blacked out Range Rover. "You're right. Boring."

Callie laughed at the disappointed look on Arizona's face. "Yeah I just needed something with four wheel drive for when it snows."

"You could have just bought a Subaru."

"Do I look like the kind of person who drives a Subaru? Besides, you won't think that is so boring when you can't get out of the driveway in your RC car and I have to rescue you."

"I look forward to being rescued by you. Which one next?" Callie pointed to the one furthest from the door. Arizona pulled the cover off to find a dark blue something she could tell was fancy, fast, and expensive. She had no idea what it was though. "Um... pretty?"

"You have no idea what you're looking at do you?"

"Not at all. Tim liked cars, but I never really listened to him."

Callie stepped closer to the car and ran her hand across the top. "This is a McLaren MP4-12C. She's fast, fun to drive, totally impractical, and she never gets taken out, since there isn't really anywhere around here to push her to her full potential."

"Do I want to know how much it cost?" Arizona wasn't at all impressed.

"No, you really don't."

"Can I drive it?" Arizona asked excitedly, bouncing up and down on her feet.

"No way. I just got it last year. I haven't even let Mark sit in it yet." Callie kissed Arizona's now pouty lip. "Come on, I want to show you my baby." Callie took Arizona's had and led her to the last car.

"I'm guessing this is the Thunderbird?"

Callie didn't answer. She just pulled off the cover to reveal her fully restored, completely custom 1955 powder blue Thunderbird. Callie grinned and hugged the hood. She hasn't been here in awhile.

"Woah. Not what I was expecting. She's beautiful, Calliope."

"I know, right?"

"Can I drive this one?"

"We'll see. You can help me cover those two back up, then pull the Audi in when I back Lucille out."

"Lucille? As in Lucille Ball?"

"Exactly." Callie knew Arizona would get it.

"You don't have to leave your car here, there is plenty of room at our house. I'll even let you have the garage."

Callie's heart skipped a beat when Arizona said 'our house'. "We can figure that out later. Let's just go get the food and go home. I just want to get this day over with."

"Okay, fine." Arizona grabbed Callie's keys and went to move the cars.

* * *

"Callie!" Arizona yelled out in panic. She waited a minute before she heard Callie come running up the stairs.

"Arizona, what the hell?" Callie ran into their bedroom to find Arizona had the entire contents of her closet spread all over the bed and floor and the blonde in only her bra and underwear sitting in the middle of the mess. "I thought you were hurt."

"I don't know what to wear!" Arizona threw a pile of clothes she already rejected over her head.

"You made me abandon my sauce because you can't dress yourself?"

"Is that what you're wearing?"

Callie looked down at the outfit she chose. She went with a sleeveless flowy black top, dark blue jeans, and flats. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No. It just seems bold to wear around your mother."

"I wanted to wear something that didn't hide my tattoos. She's never seen them." Callie was wearing a hoodie when she saw her yesterday. "This is my house and I'm not hiding who I am here."

"Your house, huh?"

"Our house." Callie smiled and kissed Arizona's forehead. "Just wear whatever you feel comfortable in. I'm going for casual, since my mother doesn't really do casual."

"You're going to make this hard for her, aren't you?" Last night Callie had told Arizona all of what Lucia said.

"Yup, she deserves it."

"Calliope, she deserves the same chance you gave your dad."

"No she doesn't. This is different."

"How is it different?"

"It just is, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Arizona didn't want to push the brunette. She would just see how the evening played out.

"She's going to be here soon, so you better pick something or you're going to be eating in your underwear." Callie picked up a random blue shirt and her favorite pair of jeans on the blonde and threw them at her. "Here, put these on. You look beautiful already, so you'll be all ready." Just as Arizona was slipping her feet into some shoes, the doorbell rang.

"Shit, she's early." Callie grabbed Arizona's hand and reluctantly went downstairs to answer the door. She found her mother standing there looking behind her. "Hello, Mother."

"Calliope, is that Aubelo Vega's car?" Lucia hasn't seen her late father's beloved car in more than sixteen years. It had been touched up and re-done a little, but she would know that car anywhere.

"Yes, Mama, it is." Callie smiled. She had a lot of good memories from her childhood in that car.

"Vega? As in Vega Hotels?" Arizona's mouth fell open.

"Yeah, Antonio Vega was my grandfather." Callie sighed. This was not how Arizona was supposed to find out about him.

"Holy shit, you're like really loaded?!" Arizona tried to keep her voice low, but she was shocked. She knew Callie had a lot of money, but not that much. Luckily Lucia was still paying attention to the car behind her.

"Babe, it's not that big of a deal. Can we focus on that later?"

"Just remember I liked you when I thought you were poor." Arizona winked, making Callie roll her eyes.

"Mother, would you like to come in?"

"Yes, of course." Lucia turned to find Callie and Arizona standing close to each other and holding hands. "Calliope, what is that all over your arms?"

"I know you know what tattoos are." Callie felt Arizona squeeze her hand.

"I know that. I didn't know you chose to do that to your body."

"Mrs. Torres, welcome!" Arizona stepped in before they started fighting within the first ten minutes of Lucia's arrival. "If you would like to come in, Calliope has made us an amazing dinner."

"Yes, thank you." Lucia still refused to look at Arizona, but at least she was acknowledging her. She followed the two women into the living room. "You have a lovely home, Ms. Robbins. It seems so big for one person though. Do you live her alone?"

"Yes, it's been just me and my cat." Arizona sat next to Callie on the sofa across from the chair Lucia had chosen to sit in. She made sure to keep a respectable distance from her girlfriend.

Callie scooted closer to the blonde and took her hand into her lap. "Actually, Arizona just asked me to move in with her."

"Moving in? Don't you think that's kind of a big step too soon, Calliope? You should be married first."

"Since you don't know or care to know anything about our relationship, you don't get to judge our decisions."

"Besides, I don't believe in marriage anyway, so that's kind of a moot point." Arizona said casually, as if she didn't just accidently drop a huge bomb on Callie in front of her mother.

"You don't want to get married?" Callie was shocked. She has never heard anything like this come from the blonde. "Like ever?"

"No, what's the point?" Arizona wasn't seeing what the big deal was.

"What's the point?! Seriously?" Callie glanced at her mother to find her smirking at them slightly. "We're going to talk about this later."

Lucia knew how much her daughter used to want to do the whole big wedding thing. She was sure that hasn't changed. Maybe there was still hope that this relationship would fall apart. "Calliope, it smells delicious in here. I'm glad you're still cooking. I know how much you loved to spend time in the kitchen."

"What?" Callie was still distracted by what Arizona had said. "Oh, yeah. Love it." She stood up suddenly. "I have to go check on the food. It should be done, so feel free to make your way to the dining room."

"I'll help you." Arizona sensed Callie's sudden change of mood and stood up to follow her. "Mrs. Torres, the dining room is this way." Once Lucia was settled into her spot at the table, Arizona made her way to the kitchen. "What would your mom think if she knew we had sex in the same spot she is about to eat dinner?" Her laugh was cut short when she saw Callie staring blankly into one of the pots on the stove. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist and kissed her shoulder. "Are you okay? I don't know what happened back there, but you seem different now."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Having my mother here just got to me." Callie lied and shook free from Arizona's hug. "Can you start bringing the salad stuff out to the table?"

Arizona didn't move for a minute. She observed Callie slowly moving around the kitchen making up things to do. "Cal-"

"No, not right now."

"But, Calliope I-"

"I said not right now." Callie snapped. "I will not give my mother the satisfaction of hearing us fighting."

"What? Why would we be fighting?" Now Arizona was really confused. "Are you at least going to tell me what this is about?"

Callie threw the spoon she was holding down on the counter and whipped around. "You really never want to get married?"

Arizona opened her mouth and closed it a few times, before letting out a deep breath and slumping her shoulder. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'." When Arizona didn't say anything, Callie crossed the kitchen and took both of her hands in hers. "Mariposa, I'm not saying I want to marry you today or next year or even the year after that, but I do want to call you my wife one day. I want to see you walk down the aisle and stand up in front of all our friends and family and promise forever with you. I want our kids to have married parents. How can you not want that?"

"Calliope..." Arizona sighed. "I do want forever with you. We don't have to get married and waste so much time and money on some stupid party. It's all the same in the end."

"It's not some stupid party! If it's all the same, why not just do it?"

"Why?"

"For me. Do it for me."

"Callie, this is not really the time to discuss this." She felt Callie drop her hands. "Your mom is waiting for us." Arizona grabbed the salad bowl and left the kitchen without another word. Callie stared at the empty doorway for a few minutes before picking up the rest of the salad supplies and taking them to the dining room.

Dinner turned out to be very quiet. Lucia could feel the tension flowing between the two women she was sharing the table with. Remembering the promise she made to Callie, she decided to break the silence. "Arizona?" Callie and Arizona's eyes snapped up from their dinner plates they were staring at. Both surprised that Lucia was addressing Arizona directly.

"Yes, Mrs. Torres?" Arizona set her fork down and sat back in her chair.

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you when you were a guest in my house. It was uncalled for and should have never happened. I am sorry."

"It's okay. I understand that the situation got a little out of hand. We all said things we didn't mean."

"No, it is not okay, but thank you for saying so."

"I should apologize to you too, Mrs. Torres. I wasn't exactly the nicest person either."

"There is no need. I am sure I deserved it."

"Yeah you did." Callie snorted.

"Calliope, be nice." Arizona glared at her.

Callie glared back. "You don't get to tell me how to treat my mother." The two women stared each other down, before refocusing their eyes on the plates.

"So, Calliope, have you spoken with Alexa since she started the first grade?" Lucia still couldn't get Aria to talk to her.

Callie smiled. Her niece was a happy topic everyone could agree on. "I just talked to her the other day. She loves her teacher, but keeps getting into trouble. Aria is afraid it's because the work is too easy for her and she's bored. She has a meeting with the school this week to discuss maybe fast tracking her straight to second grade."

"That girl was always too smart for her age. Something she did not get from Aria and Dana. I'm sure she got it from you somehow. Arizona, has Calliope ever told you she skipped the second grade?" Lucia smiled proudly.

"No, she didn't tell me that. I'm not surprised though. She's brilliant." Arizona gave Callie a tentative small smile. It grew wider when the brunette returned it.

"She definitely is. She's the only one in our whole family who went to college and she graduated with full honors." Lucia boasted. "When she was in high school she had all advanced classes. Carlos and I were completely lost when she would talk about her studies. It was all over our heads. Calliope has so much passion for learning. It was a pleasure to watch."

"Mama, stop." Callie blushed under her mom's compliments.

"She had so much potential. It makes me so sad to see it all go to waste."

"And there it is." Callie knew it wouldn't last long. Her mother was a master at backhanded compliments.

"What? You could be doing so much more with your life than wasting it away in that place."

"I'm doing plenty with my life, Mother."

"Oh really? Like what?" Lucia was genuinely interested. She has been wanting to get to know her daughter more.

"You know what?" Callie threw her napkin on her plate. "I'm full. Dinner is over." She grabbed her plate and brought it to the kitchen. Arizona and Lucia jumped when they heard the loud noise of what they assumed was Callie throwing her plate into the kitchen sink. They listened as she stomped up the stairs.

"Calliope, wait! I didn't mean it that-" Lucia was interupted by a loud slamming of a door coming from upstairs. "way." She looked at Arizona. "I really didn't mean it that way. I really wanted to know what she's been up to. I don't even know her at all anymore."

"That isn't her fault." Arizona flinched at another loud slam from above them.

"I know. It's no ones but mine." Lucia and Arizona sat in silence. After a minute they heard Callie running back down the stairs and the slam of the front door. The roar of Arizona's Ducati firing up followed soon after. When the sound of the bike was out of hearing rang, Lucia spoke up. "She's not too happy with either of us, is she?"

"No." Arizona sighed and put her head in her hands. "No, she's not."

"She'll come back." Lucia knew Callie liked to deal with things by herself when she was upset. She found Callie alone many times hiding in their treehouse when she was a little girl.

"I know." Arizona knew the same thing about her girlfriend.

"Well, I guess I will get going. I'm sorry this evening didn't go as planned." Lucia stood up from her spot and looked at the mess on the table. "Would you like some help cleaning this up?"

"No, it's okay. It will give me something to do while I wait."

"Then I will let myself out. Thank you for dinner and for letting me into your beautiful home. I know you didn't have to and I am grateful for this chance. I just hope I didn't ruin it too much." When Arizona smiled at her and nodded, Lucia turned to leave.

"Mrs. Torres?"

"Yes?"

"I spent all day making an apple pie. You're welcome to stay and share some with me. I don't want it to go to waste."

Lucia thought it over for a second. This could be her only chance to make it right with her daughter. She sat back down in her chair. "I do love apple pie."

"I know, Calliope told me." Arizona smiled and gathered the extra dishes. "I'll be right back." When she got to the kitchen she set the dishes on the counter and went to clean up the plate Callie had broken in the sink. "Oh, Calliope..." She sighed and took a minute to sort out her thoughts. She knew Callie was going to be okay wherever she went and she needed to focus on the older Torres in the other room. Arizona took the pie out of the warming tray in the oven and grabbed two plates, two forks, and a carton of vanilla ice cream.

"Wow this looks like it came out of a magazine." Lucia said when Arizona set the pie in front of her. "It's almost a shame to cut into it."

"Ice cream?" Arizona asked holding up the carton.

"Is there any other way to eat apple pie?"

"Absolutely not. I think we're going to get along just fine." Arizona smiled at the look of pleasure Lucia had while she watched her cut a piece of pie. It was a look she hasn't seen yet from the woman. It reminded her so much of Callie. She handed Lucia one of the plates and sat down across from her.

"Arizona! This is amazing!" Lucia exclaimed suddenly. She took another bite and moaned.

Arizona just laughed. If she had known Lucia liked pie so much, she would have brought her ten the first time she met her. "Thank you, Mrs. Torres."

"If you make pie like this, you can call me Lucia." She took another bite and smiled. "Im sorry, I have the worst sweet tooth. It's my biggest weakness. Carlos knows to bring me home anything chocolate when he thinks he's in trouble. Last week, he sent me the most delicious chocolate cake I've ever had for my birthday."

"It was your birthday?"

"Yes. Not the best one, since I spent it alone."

"Well, happy belated birthday, Lucia."

"Thank you, Arizona." Lucia smiled. "I'm going to tell you a secret. I ate that entire cake in one day. It was that good and I was feeling pretty sorry for myself."

"Do you know where he got it?" Arizona had a pretty good idea where it came from.

"Hold on, I kept the lable from the box and put it in my purse. I was going to buy something from there and bring it with me, but when I called ahead to place an order, they were closed on Mondays." Lucia went to the entrance hall to retrieve her purse. She brought it back to the table and dug through it. "Ah. Here it is. Kind of a weird name, but with cake like that, they could name themselves pretty much anything." She handed the label to Arizona.

Arizona recognized the butterflies on it right away. "This is my bakery." She laughed at the look of surprise on Lucia's face. "I pretty much guessed that, since no one else around here has better chocolate cake."

"You own this bakery?"

"I do." Arizona smiled wider. "It's my pride and joy."

"Well then I'm sure I'll be visiting you there often."

"I'd like that." Arizona couldn't believe she was sitting here in her house, having a normal conversation by herself with Callie's mother. The woman in front of her was an entirely different woman from the one she met before. Maybe this was the Lucia Carlos had fallen in love with. Maybe this was the mother who had raised the most wonderful woman Arizona has ever met. "I've used that cake to get myself out of trouble a few times with Calliiope. She's definitely your daughter."

Lucia's smile fell. She had been so distracted by the pie and cake talk, she had forgotten where she was, why she was here, and what this woman's relationship with her daughter was. "Yes, she did inherit my sweet tooth." Lucia took another bite of her pie, finishing it off.

"Another slice?" Arizona noticed the change in Lucia as soon as she said Callie's name. She hoped she didn't spook her into leaving. She wasn't done talking to her yet.

"Please, but not too big."

Arizona cut them each a slice and they ate them without speaking. When they were finished Arizona took the ice cream back to the freezer. She went back to the dining room and sat back down across from a spaced out looking Lucia. Arizona decided to wait her out. She's had plenty of practice with Callie.

* * *

Callie slowly walked up the stairs to Mark's apartment. She opted not to take the elevator up the six stories to give herself some time to think. His apartment was at the top of the largest and newest building in town. It was strange coming here like this. Everyone usually hung out at her apartment. She just hoped he was home. When Callie for to his door she hesitated before knocking. After a minute or two of waiting, Mark answered the door wearing only boxers. "Cal? What are you doing here? I thought you were having dinner with your mom?"

Callie could see Lexie over Mark's shoulder. She was wearing one if his tshirts and not much else. "I'm sorry, I should go."

Mark saw the lost look on his friends face. "No, Cal. It's okay. We weren't busy." He turned to give Lexie a look of apology. She nodded her head in understanding and disappeared back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Mark turned back to Callie and motioned her to come in, but she didn't move.

"She never wants to get married." Callie blurted out.

"Married? What?" Mark furrowed his brow in confusion. "Who are we talking about?

"Arizona! Who else?"

"You asked her to marry you? And you didn't tell me! Didn't you just tell me this morning she asked you to move in last night? Moving kind of fast there, don't you think?"

"No, of course I didn't! I'm nowhere near ready for marriage."

"I'm lost here, Cal."

Callie grunted in frustration and pushed her way past him. She went straight to his fridge to grab a beer. Opening it with the bottle opener she found next to the sink. She threw herself on his couch and put her feet up on his very expensive coffee table. She glared at him, daring him to say anything about it.

"Are you going to explain what's going on here or are you just going to sit there and glare at me?" Mark went and got himself a beer before sitting next to Callie on the couch.

"I told my mom we were moving in and of course she had an opinion about it. She said it was too soon and we should be married first."

"You're mother said you and Blondie should get married?" Mark asked in disbelief.

"No, I think she just meant in general. Anyway, Arizona then said she didn't believe in marriage. Like it's Santa Clause or a ghost or something. I mean, who says that? It doesn't even make sense."

"I'm sure she'll come around. She'd be crazy not to want to marry you."

"I don't think so. She said it was pointless and weddings were a stupid waste. You know how long I've wanted a wedding!"

"I know. We were married ten times before we were twelve." Mark smiled when Callie laughed. She somehow always convinced him to play wedding with her.

"I should probably tell Arizona I already have a husband."

"No way! She'd kick the shit out if me."

"Yeah, she probably would. She's deceptively strong for such a small person."

"So why are you here? What happened with your mom?"

"I left her with Arizona. She was questioning my life choices again. I couldn't handle anymore."

"You left Arizona alone with your mother? That's mean, Cal."

"I know." Callie already felt guilty enough. "I just can't control myself sometimes, especially my mouth. I had to leave."

"If Arizona really never wants to get married, would that be an end all to your relationship?"

"Or course not! I want to spend the rest of my life with her no matter what."

"Then why are we here?"

"I don't know! I really want her to be my wife some day."

"Have you really talked about it? Sounds like you just threw the idea of marriage at her out of nowhere and then left. It seems like you two could come to some sort of compromise. A lot can change before you're ready for that step too."

"No... shit, I'm an idiot."

"Ya think?"

Callie threw one of the couch pillows at Mark's head. "Shut up, I hate you."

"Love you too, Cal."

"Can I stay here for a little bit? I want to make sure my mother's gone before I go back."

"Whatever you want, Cal-Cals." Mark stood up and bent over to give Callie a hug. "Stay for however long you want. I'm going to go back to Lexie."

"I better not hear you two having sex in there!" Callie called just as Mark was about to shut his bedroom door behind him.

"Whatever do you mean?" Mark grinned lecherously and slammed the door before the pillow Callie threw at him hit him in the face.

* * *

"Ever since Calliope was a little girl she always dreamed of having a huge wedding. She was a flower girl in many if her aunts, uncles, and cousins weddings. She loved going to them. I would spend hours listening to all of the crazy ideas she had. I doubt she still wants pony rides, a clown, a coloring station, and a cotton candy machine, but I'm sure the basic dream is the same." Lucia said quietly.

"So, we're talking about her now?" Arizona was surprised that the first thing Lucia brought up was weddings.

"Yes, I think we can learn a lot from each other."

"That just doesn't seem like Calliope at all." Arizona couldn't imagine her girlfriend wanting anything to do with any of that.

"I know. She's always been a little on the tomboy side. Preferring to play in the mud over playing princess dress-up with her sisters. Surprisingly, her favorite game to play was wedding. Her father and I thought it was a little strange, but didn't question her. Now I understand why she had Barbie marry Barbie more than Barbie married Ken. I just assumed she ran out of the boy dolls." Lucia laughed uncomfortably. She fought with Callie so much over what dolls were appropriate to marry each other. Even when Callie was a child, she knew something was different about herself even though she didn't know what it meant yet. "I'm just saying that you probably broke her heart a little when you called one of her dreams stupid." She saw the frown form on the blonde's face. "I'm sorry, but I overheard you two earlier in the kitchen."

"I didn't know." Arizona wanted to kick herself right about now. "I just don't know if I can give all that to her. I never saw myself getting married. I've never wanted to. It all seems very silly to me."

"It's just one day out of your life. It won't kill you. I know it would make Calliope very happy."

"She would make a stunning bride." Arizona smiled at the thought of Callie all dressed up and walking towards her down the aisle.

"So would you. You're both very beautiful women." Lucia frowned when Arizona burst out laughing. "What? I didn't think that was funny. It's true."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Torres, but you're the last person on the planet I'd thought I'd be having this conversation with. I just don't believe this is for real."

Lucia smiled, "Trust me, I never thought I'd be having this conversation with you either. I had expected it to be with a man."

That statement made Arizona stop laughing immediately. "Mrs. Torres, would all of this be different if I grew a penis and hacked off my breasts? I'd still be the same person either way."

"I like you, Arizona, I do. I know that's hard to believe now. I can tell you make my daughter very happy and treat her right. Carlos has told me as much also. I don't know if I'll ever be okay with this, but it's going to happen no matter what I think. It really doesn't even matter what my opinion is."

"Yes it does. Calliope loves you very much and even though she's a grown woman, she still needs her Mama's approval."

"I'm working on it."

"You obviously need to try harder."

"What do your parents think of all this?"

"They love Calliope. I'm beginning to think they like her better than me." Arizona laughed. "When I told then I was gay when I was fifteen, my dad asked me what took me so long to figure it out. They weren't upset with me, they knew I was the same exact Arizona they raised. They never ever treated me any differently than my straight brother. I was actually the one upset at then for not telling me I was gay sooner. They could have at least hinted at it! Would have saved me a lot of grief and an awkward boy kiss. My mom was so proud of herself for being the first to know. All she said about it was that I better give her grandbabies to spoil."

"It's just that a mother has all these plans for their children when they are born. This was not what I had in mind for Calliope. You'll understand if you ever have you're own."

"Calliope's life is her own, not yours."

"I know that! It's still hard to just change my mind."

"I can see where Callie gets her stubbornness from."

Lucia smiled half-heartedly. "Yes, poor Carlos never could catch a break."

"What plans did you have for her?" Arizona was curious.

"I thought she'd be married by now with a grandchild or two for me to spoil. I thought she'd have a successful career as a doctor."

"A doctor?"

"Yes, she used to want to be a surgeon. I don't know what happened."

"She followed her true passion. There's nothing wrong with that. She is one of the lucky few who can say they truly love their job. She can still have those other things. She's still young and healthy." When Lucia didn't say anything, Arizona continued. "Did you know she opened a huge animal sanctuary all by herself?"

"What?"

"Yeah, it's massive and very successful. It has saved the lives of probably thousands and thousands of animals. It provides a home for the neglected and special needs animals no one else would even give a chance. It helps no to low income families save their pets when they get sick or injured. It's really amazing." Arizona smiled proudly.

"I had no idea."

"It's called Eva's Friends. You should check it out."

"She did it for her sister. Eva loved animals. She wanted to be a veterinarian."

"Yeah, Calliope told me that. She does a lot for her sister."

"They had a very special bond." Lucia smiled sadly. "I think I'm going to go. Please don't let Calliope give up on me."

"I'll see, but I will support her in whatever she chooses to do."

Lucia nodded her understanding and stood up. "Hopefully my daughter doesn't cut me off for good and I see you soon."

"You really miss her, don't you?"

"Very much. She's a lot to miss."

"She really is. Bye, Lucia."

"Bye, Arizona."

Arizona closed the door behind Callie's mom and let out a giant sigh. She didn't know what to think of Lucia Torres right now. She sent a silent prayer to her brother asking that this all worked out and that Callie could have her family she longed to have back.

* * *

Callie entered the dark and quiet house as quietly as she could in case Arizona was sleeping. She stopped to listen for any signs of an awake girlfriend, but only heard the soft ticking of the clock in the hall. She glance at it and saw that it was one in the morning. She knew Arizona would be getting up in a few hours for work. Callie could see a faint light coming from the kitchen and went to turn it off. She found that Arizona had cleaned up the mess from dinner and felt guilt creep through her body. After her talk with Mark, she knew she had been wrong in running out so fast, as usual. Callie saw that Arizona had left the light over the stove on and a slice of apple pie covered in plastic on a plate. She picked up the note on top to read it. It just had a simple I love you written in a big heart. Callie smiled and put the plate in the microwave to warm it up. While it was heating, she went to the freezer to grab the ice cream.

"I'm convinced that I can get your mother to agree to anything if I supply her with chocolate cake and apple pie at all times."

"No, you would be better off with eclairs." Callie said without turning around. She felt Arizona's arms surround her from behind.

"What happened earlier?"

"I'm sorry. I overreacted." Callie didn't notice how cold the kitchen was until now. She let herself be engulfed by her girlfriends warmth.

"You left me here alone with your mother." Arizona grabbed Callie's shoulders, spun her around, and looked her directly in the eyes. "Not cool."

"I know. I am really sorry."

"You can make it up to me by sharing that piece of pie. It's the last one. Your mom devoured most of it earlier."

"I can do that." Callie smiled and got out two forks from the drawer. She handed one to Arizona and used hers to take a bite. "This pie is dangerous."

Arizona watched Callie moan over her pie for a minute before taking a bite for herself. "So, what are your ideas for the kitchen?" Arizona smiled when Callie's eyes lit up. "All I ask is that we get a double oven. It would make my life so much easier."

"Well, I'd want to switch out all the appliances for stainless steel and upgrade the counter tops. These tile ones are awful. I'm thinking we can blow out that wall and add a huge island here." Callie walked over to where she wanted to put the island. "That way it would open up to the dining room and be one big space. Then get all new custom cabinets and a double sink. I'd also like to change out the floors."

"Wow, that sounds like more than a little work."

"I know, but I've never had this much room to make my dream kitchen. It's the perfect space." Callie said excitedly and went back to her pie. She took a big bite and smiled at Arizona. "It would be so much fun picking out all new stuff with you. Make it really ours. I'd even let you add whatever fancy baking crap you want."

"Oh gee, thanks." Arizona smiled down at Callie as the brunette leaned over the counter shoving pie in her mouth. It was the middle of the night. They were standing in her dimly lit kitchen, sharing a piece of apple pie, just the two of them, talking about making it truly their own. She loved being right here in this moment with Callie and hoped for a million more exactly like it. Arizona knew she'd do anything for this woman. "I don't want clowns. They scare me and definitely not pony rides. Way too smelly and probably be a mess. I could maybe see a coloring station for the kids though."

Callie stared quizzically at the beaming blonde. She had no idea what she was talking about. After a minute she dropped her fork and her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god! My mother told you!"

Arizona nodded her head and grinned wider. "I absolutely do want a cotton candy machine. I'm putting my food down on that one."

"That's... that's really embarrassing." Callie blushed and looked away. Arizona grabbed her cheeks with both her hands and forced her to look back.

"No, it's super cute. I can just imagine a little Calliope dressing all her dolls up and throwing the biggest lesbian Barbie wedding there ever was. I just hope you didn't invite GI Joe. That guy is a douchebag. He always tried to blow up my trolls."

"Arizona, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that way down the road, when the time is right, I would like nothing more than to be your wife. I'm not asking you to marry me right now. Not yet. What I am saying is that the option is on the table in the future."

"Really?" Callie had been expecting to have to fight for thia more.

Arizona saw the way Callie's eyes lit up and knew she'd made the right decisions. "Really."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Your mother."

"That can not be true." Callie laughed in disbelief.

"Well, believe it, baby." Arizona pulled Callie in for a hug. "Cotton candy machine, don't you forget."

"You can have whatever you want. Just no rainbows."

"Damn there went my plan to gay it up."

"It's two women getting married. I think it will be gay enough." Callie bent her head down to kiss Arizona's lips. "Thank you."

"Maybe next time stick around and not run away?"

"I won't. I promise."

"You kind of threw a lot at me today, you know. Secret fancy cars, billionaire grandfather, marriage... Oh and turns out you're a super genius."

"Have I mentioned how sorry I am? I promise there isn't anything else I'm accidently hiding."

"Okay. How about we go to bed. I can probably get another hour of sleep before having to get up for work."

"I can think of a better way to spend that hour." Callie ran her hands down the front of Arizona's barely there pajamas.

"Calliope, as much as I would love too, I really need to get some sleep tonight."

"Fine." Callie pouted.

Arizona giggled when Callie suddenly swept her off her feet. "What are you doing!"

"Taking you to bed." She carried her to the bottom of the stairs and set her down. "Sorry you have to carry yourself from here. Maybe lay off the apple pie." Callie grinned when Arizona punched her arm.

"Maybe you're just getting weaker in your old age."

"I am not old!"

"Are too!"

"You're older than me, so what does that make you?"

"Makes me awesome." Arizona took off running up the stairs. "Race you!"

"That's not fair!" Callie smiled as she watched her girlfriend run up the staircase. She loved this playful side of her, even at two in the morning.

"Ha! You're totally the old lady!" Arizona yelled down the stairs when she made it to the top first. She gulped when she saw the playful look in Callie's eyes. That usually meant she was about to be tickled until she cried. "No! Callie, no!" She begged as Callie slowly crept up the stairs, like a predator after its prey. "You'll hurt my tattoo!" Arizona slowly backed down the hallway towards her room. "Oh shit." She said when Callie reached the top of the stairs. Before she could turn and run, Callie had picked her up and flipped over her shoulder. "Please Callie, don't!" She flailed her arms and legs wildly. When they got to their room Callie threw both of them onto the bed, both landing in a fit of laughter.

* * *

"He-Hello?"

"Hi Mom!" Arizona was alarmed by the sound of her mom's voice when she answered the phone. It sounded like she was crying. Callie had gotten her excited about remodeling the kitchen and wanted to ask her mom about it right away. She called her as soon as she got to work. All that was forgotten as soon as she heard her mom crying. "Are you okay?"

"Zona! Hi, baby girl." Barbara sniffed and tried to regain her composure. "What's going on?"

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Butterfly, I need to tell you something." Barbara broke down in tears again.

"Mom! You're scaring me!" Arizona rarely hears her mom cry. It was heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm not meaning to."

"What's going on?" Arizona asked again after her mom didn't say anything. "Mama! Answer me!"

_Please!_

* * *

**Nic's Notes**:

I know, I'm totally mean. Just be happy that I'm rarely this mean. So, what could possibly be going on in New York?

If you've never watched House Hunters on HGTV, then the first part was probably confusing. If you have seen it, then I'm sure you know how addicting and frustrating it is. Or maybe it's just me. Haha. I'm constantly throwing crap at the tv. It's an ongoing battle between my wife and me to get me to stop.

I'm sorry if this seemed half-assed. It's been a long, busy, shitastic day.


	28. Chapter 26 Part One: It's a done deal

**Not too much time to write today. I felt bad about the cliffhanger, so I wrote up this shorty before bed. It's not much, but let's you know what's going on. I'd write more, but I have to get up early to go to San Francisco tomorrow. Yeah buddy!**

**I hope the one sided phone conversation thing I did here isn't confusing. **

**Remember, Nicoleland rules apply here.**

* * *

"What are you looking at?"

"Paint samples."

"For what? Please don't tell me you're painting the apartment again. You know I don't like change."

Callie looked up from the book of different paint samples she had picked up on her way to work. She knew Arizona was calling her mom that morning and was eager to get started on the kitchen. She somehow failed to mention to Cristina she was planning on moving out. "Umm, no. It's for Arizona's kitchen. We're going to redo it together."

"She's letting you butcher her kitchen?"

"Well, no. It's going to be our kitchen."

"You two finally shacking up?" Cristina moved further into Callie's office and sat down across from her.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. She just asked me the other night and things have been crazy." When Cristina didn't say anything, Callie went back to her book. They held a strange bond and could sit together in easy silence for long periods of time.

"I'll miss you, Cal."

Callie looked up and smiled. "I'm going to miss you too, Cris."

"Psh, I know." Cristina smiled back.

"And don't worry, I'll still cook for you if you come over."

"I'll hold you to that, Torres."

"Are you going to have Owen move in?"

"Are you going to charge me higher rent?"

"No, it will stay the same." Callie barely made Cristina pay anything in the first place.

"Then maybe."

*Ding* Callie pulled her phone out of her pocket and frowned when she saw the text message from Arizona.

**I need you**.

"Sorry, but I need to go." Callie got up and hastily moved toward the exit.

"Hey, Cal?"

Callie stopped and turned to look back at Cristina. "Yeah?"

"I'll never admit to saying this ever, but I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Cris. I'm happy for me too." They exchanged small smiles before Callie hurried out the back door. She let herself into the back door of the bakery, surprising Meredith and Lexie. Ignoring them she went straight for Arizona's office and barged in without knocking. Arizona was sitting behind her desk and staring at the cell phone in her hand. "Babe?" The blonde slowly looked up at her and shook her head. When Callie saw her eyes start to water, she rushed around the desk and squatted down in front of the blonde. "Hey..." She cupped her cheek with her hand and looked her in her eyes. "What happened?" Callie asked softly. Arizona just shook her head again. "Did you call your mom?" The blonde nodded. "Is that why your upset?" She nodded again. "What did she say?"

"She said..." Arizona paused and shook her head again in disbelief. "She said that they're in trouble."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"I guess a few years ago they had to take out a second mortgage on the house to keep the bakery afloat, but they got too behind and now their in danger of losing the house. The bakery isn't making as much money as it used to and they're probably going to have to sell it." Arizona pressed her palms into her eyes and rested her elbows on the desk. "Why didn't they tell me? It had to be going badly for a long time to have it come down to this. I would have never used that money to come out here and do this." She waved her hands around to show she meant her bakery.

"That's probably exactly why they didn't tell you. They wanted you to have your dream."

"Callie! I grew up in that house. I grew up in that bakery. It's been in the family for so long. They can't lose them. It would break their hearts."

"How much?"

"What?"

"How much do they need to get them out of debt?"

"Calliope, I know what you're going to say and it's not happening. They'd never allow it and I won't allow it. My mom is going to kill me for even telling you about this. They're very private about financial stuff."

Callie knew there wouldn't be any way to convince the Robbins to let her help them, but she had an idea. "Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"I forgot mine on my desk. Just give it to me."

"No, tell me why first."

"Trust me, okay?"

Arizona rolled her eyes. Callie just had to play the 'trust me' card. "Fine. Here."

Callie looked through Arizona's phonebook and hit send when she found what she needed. "Hi, Mama Robbins! It's Callie."

Arizona's eyes widened when she heard who Callie called. "Callie!" She hissed. "Give me the phone!" She tried to grab the cell, but Callie swatted her hand away.

"No, I haven't talked to Arizona today... Oh she did?... Did she tell you our good news?... She didn't?" Callie looked at Arizona questionably.

"I got kind of distracted." Arizona whispered.

"She asked me to move in with her... Of course I said yes!" Callie laughed and pulled the phone away from her ear when Barbara squealed loudly. "Yes, we're very excited... I was just wondering if you have ever thought about selling your mom's house..." She smiled when she saw realization flash across Arizona's eyes. "I know you want to keep it in the family. I would like to buy it from you... There are a lot of things I would like to do to it and wouldn't feel right if it wasn't mine... Yeah, I understand. Just let me know when you decide... You have my number, right?... I love you too. Bye." Callie ended the call and looked at a frowning Arizona. "What?"

"Callie, you can't buy my mom's house."

"Why not? It's a great house. I love it. They need the money. It's a win-win."

"I don't know..."

"Arizona, don't worry about it." Callie kissed the blonde's lips, but stopped when Arizona's phone rang. She checked the caller id and handed it to the blonde. "Here, it's your mom."

"Hi Mom... Yeah, it's true. I did." Arizona smiled at Callie. "Oh she did?... I think it's your house and your decision... Yes, she can afford it... Did you talk to Dad about it?... Well, you don't have to decide right now... I know you need the money... I think you need to do whatever is necessary to keep the house and bakery... Actually, she just walked in here... Yeah, hold on." Arizona held her phone out to Callie. "Here she wants to talk to you."

"Hello?... Well, that was fast... I can get an appraiser out there today and then I can send you an offer... I'll call you after I talk to him... Yes... Thank you, Barbara. This means a lot to me... Okay, I will. Bye." Callie hung up and kissed Arizona's cheek. "Your mom said to give you that." She moved her lips to Arizona's and kissed her slow and long. "That ones from me."

"You don't think a lot before making big decisions, do you?"

"Actually, I do. I've wanted that house since the first time I pulled up to it. It's beautiful. I just didn't know how to bring it up."

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you know I'm only with you because of your house?" Callie dodged Arizona's flying hand and smiled down at her. "I love you."

"I love you too." Arizona smiled at her girlfriend as she moved around the desk and sat down. "Can I have my phone back?"

"No, I need it." Callie dialed a number she knew by heart. "Hey Jackson, it's Calliope Torres... Can you get a real estate appraiser out to 643 Shannon Way as soon as possible. Call me at this number when you find one and I can meet him there... Okay, thanks. Bye."

"And who was that?"

"My father's assistant."

"Your fathers assistant?"

"I don't really need my own and he said to use him whenever, so why not?" Callie shrugged. It was a lot easier than trying to research her own appraiser.

"Do you know what you sound like right-" She was interrupted by her phone ringing and Callie putting her hand up to quiet her. "Rude!"

"Jackson? Hey... I'll be there in an hour... Thank you." Callie hung up. "So you want to come with me or what?"

"Yeah, I can leave for a little bit. Phone?"

"No." Callie dialed another number. "Hi Martha, it's Callie... Are you busy today?... Can you meet me at 643 Shannon Way in about three hours?... I'll be making an offer on that house once I get a value... It's a private sale. I'll be paying in cash and want it closed as soon as possible... Yes, Barbara and Daniel Robbins (212) 555-7109 I believe the house is in Barbara's name... Thanks, Martha. I know I can count on you to get this done as smoothly as possible, correct?... Perfect." Callie hung up an dialed yet another number. "Frank? Callie Torres... I'm need to know the fastest way to send someone a large sum of money... I'm not sure how much yet... Okay, just make sure all fees are covered by me, not the receivers... I'll contact you when I have more information. I trust you'll be available?... Thanks, Frank. Bye." Callie hung up and handed Arizona her phone back. "Okay, ready to go?"

"Callie who were those people?" Arizona had no idea what just happened. It kind of turned her on though.

"My real estate lawyer and banker. I'm just covering my bases. I want this to go as smoothly as possible for your parents."

"You're really hot when you're all professional and taking care of business like."

"You like that, huh?" Callie smirked. The look her girlfriend was giving her was a familiar and very welcomed one.

"Oh yeah." Arizona bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. She stood up and moved to the door to lock it.

"What are you doing?" Callie asked when Arizona straddled her. The blonde placed open mouthed kisses down her neck in response and ran her hands down the sides of Callie breasts. "Arizona, quit it."

"Why?"

"Because you always tell me no sex in the office." Callie cupped Arizona's ass and squeezed it. "If you keep doing that, then I'll be forced to break your stupid rule."

"Rules are meant to be broken, Calliope." Arizona said in a low husky voice that made Callie inhale sharply. The blonde unbuttoned one of Callie's buttons on her shirt. "So, do you want to be a rule follower?" She unbuttoned the second button. "Or a rule breaker?" Arizona unbuttoned another button and kissed across Callie'a exposed chest. "I've always had an unhealthy attraction to bad girls."

Callie stood up and Arizona wrapped her legs around her waist. She spun them around so she could place the blonde on her desk. "Well, lucky for you, I've always been a bit of a rebel."

* * *

"Okay, Ms. Torres, I'm all finished up here."

"Great, what did you come up with?" Callie asked. Arizona and she had just spent two hours following the appraiser Jackson found around their house. They spent another thirty minutes watching him punch in numbers into a calculator and mumbling to himself.

"This is a great house. I don't see too much wrong with it." The appraiser handed Callie some papers. "This has everything you need to know."

"Okay, thanks Gus." Without even looking at the paperwork Callie walked over to a waiting Martha. She motioned for her to follow her away from Arizona's earshot. "Martha, take this value and double it as my offer. Make sure the Robbins don't see the real value on any of the paperwork. Is it possible to only put Arizona's name on the deed, instead of mine without her knowing? I'd really like to keep the house in her family."

"Callie, that's insane." Martha has never had someone over offer on a home, especially by this much. The value on it was already incredibly high. "Are you sure about this?"

"Are you going to do it or do I need to find someone else who will?" Callie was not in the mood to have someone question her.

"No, of course I'll do it. I'll take care of everything. Since you're paying in cash, putting her name on it should be fine. Frank is already on stand by and the Robbins are waiting for your offer. I just need to write it up and fax it over."

"Thanks, Martha. Just call me when I need to sign something." Callie went back to the living room where Arizona and Gus were still talking. "Ready, babe? I have an appointment in about half an hour, so I need to get back."

"Yup." Arizona followed Callie out to the car and buckled in. "What happens now?"

"Now we let Martha work her magic and wait for your parents to sign the paperwork."

"I can't believe you're doing this. I'm glad you are though." Arizona knew Callie wouldn't ever do something she wasn't absolutely sure about. It made her happy to know that her parents would be taken care of in a fair way.

"How much do you think I should charge you in rent?" Callie joked.

"Excuse me?"

"It's going to be my house now, so..."

"You're lucky I know your kidding or I'd find somewhere else to live. I'm sure Cristina is going to need a new roommate now."

"That would never work. You guys would kill each other."

"That's true. I don't know how you did it for so long. Are you going to miss living with her?"

"I am. We had a lot of fun together, believe it or not. I know I'm going to love living with you more though."

"Obviously." Arizona laughed.

"I'll take rent payments in sexual favors."

Arizona smiled and put her hand over Callie's on the gear shift. "That's a deal."

* * *

The next afternoon Arizona came crashing into Callie's office, making the brunette mess up the sketch she was working on. "What the hell, Arizona? You scared me!" Callie vigorously used her eraser to make her mistake disappear.

"Calliope, what is this?" Arizona threw a stack of papers on top of what Callie was working on.

Callie picked up the top one and saw it was a copy of the contract offer for the house. "How did you get this?"

"My mom called me. She was so excited that her house was worth so much. I talked to Gus, Callie. He told me how much it was worth. I thought my mom was reading it wrong and had her send me a copy. Let me ask you again, what the hell is this?"

"I offered what I thought would be fair and what the house was worth to me." The anger in her girlfriend's eyes was making Callie nervous. This is why Arizona wasn't supposed to see it. She was going to tell her after the sale was final.

"Fair?! Full price would have been fair! This?" Arizona picked up the papers and threw them at Callie. "This is outrageous."

"You know what? It really isn't any of your business. I'm buying a house and I can pay whatever I want. You aren't even a part of it."

"I'm telling my parents how much it's really worth. They're never going to accept this."

"Don't you dare! My offer is already sighed by me and legally bound. It can't be changed. Once they sign it, it's final."

"Yeah, but they can counter and make it lower, then you'll have to accept it."

"I won't accept anything less than my original offer. It's that or nothing, Arizona. Don't make this hard for them."

"I don't believe you." She crossed her arms and glared down at Callie.

"Try me." Callie raised her eyebrow and glared back. Both women refused to back down. The brunette finally looked away when her phone rang. "Hello?... Okay, great thank you." Callie hung up and looked at Arizona. "It's too late. Your mom signed my offer. It's a done deal. It's my house now."

"I can't believe this!" Arizona threw up her arms and stormed out of the office.

"Arizona!" Callie sighed and rested her head in her hands. She knew Arizona was not going to be happy at all when she found out it was actually her house now. Even when she was trying to help, she always screwed something up.

_Shit, shit, shit._


	29. Chapter 26 Part Two: It's a done deal

**The car ride yesterday gave me a chance to come up with another shorty. **

* * *

Later that evening Callie came home to find Arizona destroying the wall that separated the kitchen and dining room with a sledgehammer. She was still wearing her uniform pants, but had taken off her jacket, leaving her in only a thin white tank top. She had sweat dripping down her face and back from the exertion. Judging by how many holes were already in the long wall, the blonde had been at it for awhile. Callie quietly entered the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast bar. She set the large envelope she just picked up from Martha on the counter. She watched as Arizona took another swing at the wall and let out a loud grunt when her hammer crashed through another untouched piece of drywall. Bits of plaster and paint flew everywhere. The kitchen was already covered in plaster and dust, making it unusable. "Do you even know what you're doing?" Callie finally asked.

"Yes." *whack* "I think we need to have a talk about boundaries." *whack* "You were out of line today."

"You were all in, if I recall correctly. Up until, god forbid, I gave your parents some extra money."

"You lied to me." *whack*

"I didn't lie to you. I admit I went about it all wrong, but I had to or you wouldn't let me."

*whack* "Damn right, I wouldn't let you."

"You know what. I am not wrong here." Callie stood up and grabbed the sledgehammer Arizona was about to pick up and swing again. "I'm not going to let you make me feel bad for wanting to do a good thing. Your parents will never have to worry about finances again. I don't understand why you're making a big deal out of this." When Arizona didn't say anything, Callie threw the hammer on the floor with a loud bang. She saw the blonde visibly jump at the noise. "On the counter there are some papers you need to sign. Apparently you can't put someone's name on a house without their consent."

Arizona whipped around and looked at Callie for the first time since she came home. "What?!"

"Sign them now and this will all be over. Or don't sign them and the transaction is void and I start the process over. I'll offer whatever you think is right if I do start over."

"My name was not on that contract I saw."

"No, it wasn't. Martha thought it would work. It's kind of an unique situation so I don't blame her for not knowing. The decision is in your hands now. It doesn't matter to me either way."

"Callie..."

"I put everything aside to do this today, so I have go back to work and catch up on my consultations." Callie walked to the the kitchen doorway to leave. "Sign the papers, Arizona." She said without turning around. She waited on the front porch, hoping Arizona would stop her. When Callie heard the sound of the hammer hitting the wall again, she got in her car and drove away.

Arizona's arms were hurting from the repetitive swinging of the hammer. She had come home earlier and spotted it in her garage by chance when she parked her car. Without thinking she brought it into the house and took her anger out on the wall, since she knew it was coming down anyway. After Callie left she took one last swing before setting it down and following her, but when she got to the door all she saw was Callie's tail lights as she drove away. Arizona cursed and ran back inside to grab the envelope and her keys. She was almost out the door again when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag, hoping it was Callie, but it was her parents house number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Zona, it's your mother."

"Mom, I know who you are."

"Are you with Callie? I called her phone, but she didn't answer."

"No, I think she's at work."

"Okay, I'll just try her again then."

"Mom, I need to tell you something." Arizona needed to be honest with her parents, even if it made Callie mad.

"Is this about Callie offering us more than what Nana's house was worth?"

"How did you know?"

"Callie called earlier and told me."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not. We understand why she did it."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"We came to a compromise. Your Callie is very persuasive."

Arizona laughed, "Trust me, I know."

"She agreed to take half of the extra back if we kept the other half. That's why I needed to talk to her. She gave me some time to think it over."

"You're okay with that?" Arizona was surprised her mom seemed okay with taking a large sum of money from her girlfriend. It seemed so unlike her.

"Zona, sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and accept some help, especially when you need it most. Your father and I needed the help. This was physically making him sick and with Callie's help we have what we need and some extra to fall back on. Callie explained her situation and insisted we don't pay her back. She said it made her happy to be able to help. She's a stubborn one."

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Arizona smiled.

"She also told me you were mad at her."

"She didn't tell me, Mom. She just did it!"

"Would you have let her?"

"Of course not."

"Can you blame her then?"

"I just feel like she steam rolled you into this."

"Zona, I'm a grown woman. I make my own decisions and she in no way pressured me. I was already thinking about selling Nana's house and she called me out of the blue with a perfect solution. It was meant to be."

"You were going to sell Nana's house? How could you?"

"It was bad, baby girl. I wasn't going to have a choice. Are you really going to keep punishing Callie for this?"

"Mom, she needs to learn to talk about these things with me first."

"And you need to learn to listen to her. I know you Arizona. You're exactly like your father. You get that you're right in your head and don't listen to anybody."

Arizona rolled her eyes and sucked in her cheeks. Of course her mom was right. Arizona already knew that before she even called. "Mom. I have to go. I'm pretty busy here."

"Okay, Butterfly. You better make your dear old mother happy and make it right with Callie."

"Bye, Mom! Love you!" Arizona quickly hung up before her mom could respond. "God this week just needs to be over."

* * *

It turned out Callie only had one late consultation to do. Her others had rescheduled for a later date. She has been doing that a lot to her clients lately and made a mental note to try and remain on schedule from now on. It was a quick one too. The woman basically just gave Callie a picture of her daughter and gave her creative free rein. The clients who gave the brunette the freedom to do whatever she wanted were her favorite. Now she found herself alone in her dark shop. Something that rarely happened. She looked around and smiled. Her friends and family surrounded her through the art that covered every inch of every wall. Instead of going back home to an angry girlfriend, she decided to pull out a blank canvas and her paints. It's been a long time since she had taken the time to just paint for herself. The large main room of the shop had the best lighting, so she set up an easel in the middle of it. Taking in a deep breath she lifted the brush and let her subconscious dictate her art.

* * *

Arizona stood on the sidewalk in front of Evangelines watching her girlfriend paint. She didn't think she'd ever get over how Callie never failed to take her breath away, especially right now. The way the bright light above Callie shined against the darkness of the rest of the shop and the dark street made the brunette glow like an angel. To Arizona, Callie was her angel. When Callie looked up at her and smiled her brilliant smile, Arizona felt herself fall in love all over again. She tentatively lifted her hand to wave. She wasn't sure if her girlfriend wanted her there in such a private seeming moment. Her smile fell when Callie put her stuff down and walked into the back of the shop out of view. After waiting a few minutes, Arizona took the hint and turned to leave. Just as she was about to cross the street to her car, she heard loud banging coming from the glass behind her and turned around to find Callie unlocking the front door with her keys. The brunette opened it just enough to stick her head out. No one said anything at first. Finally Arizona decided to break the ice. "Hi..." She breathed out.

"Hi... I'm sorry, I couldn't remember where I put my keys to unlock the door." Callie held them up and jiggled them. "Found them in the bathroom of all places."

"It's okay." Arizona shifted on her feet nervously.

"How long have you been out here?"

"How long have you known I was here?"

"About an hour." Callie had felt the blonde watching her for awhile. It calmed her and helped her paint.

"And you just left me out here in the cold?"

"You didn't seem like you wanted to come in."

"May I come in now?"

Callie pushed the door open wider and held it open for the blonde to enter. When she was inside, she closed and locked it behind her. She turned around to find Arizona standing directly behind her. They locked eyes for a minute before Arizona flung her arms around Callie and nuzzled her cold nose into her girlfriends warm neck. "Mariposa, you're freezing." Callie held her closer and rubbed her back to try and warm her up.

"I love you, Calliope." Arizona whispered.

"I love you too."

"What are you doing in here all alone?"

"Just felt like painting."

"Can I see?"

"Not yet. I'm not finished." Callie released her hold on her girlfriend. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you."

"And?"

"I just missed you. I feel like we've just been fighting the last couple if days. I don't like it. It's not us."

"I don't like it either." Callie hugged Arizona again. "Can we be done now?"

"Yeah. Do you have anymore canvasses?"

"I do. Do you want to paint?" Callie was surprised. Other than the mural on the bakery wall and some sugar art, she hasn't seen anything else her girlfriend has done.

"Yeah, if that's okay."

"It's more than okay." Callie smiled and grabbed the blondes hand. "Come on, I'll set you up." She led her to the supply closet where they stored art supplies and left her there to pick out whatever her heart desired. She set up another easel for the blonde and went back to work on her painting. Arizona brought over the large canvass she had picked out and followed Callie's lead and went right to work. For the next three hours not one word was exchanged between the women, just the occasional stolen glance and shy smile when one was caught.

Callie glanced at the clock above the door and saw it was nearing midnight. She knew the blonde had to work in about four hours. She set down her brush and stepped back to look at her painting. It wasn't quite done, but close enough. "Hey babe, ready to call it a night?"

Arizona put her brush down too and walked over to where Callie had been working. "Calliope, this is amazing." She stared wide eyed at the scene Callie had created. There was a large oak tree with it's changing fall leaves swirling around in the wind and covering the yellowing grass on the ground. The sun was setting in the sky, adding a pink and orange glow to the blue horizon. The highlight of the painting was the little girl swinging high on a tire swing. Her hair was blowing in her laughing face as she leaned back and held on tight to the rope tied up in the tree. She obviously didn't have a worry in the world. The way Callie had expertly mixed the reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and browns created a emotionally calming piece of art. A true talent, considering most of those colors are usually known to do the opposite. "Is that Alexa?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd give this to my mom for her birthday."

"You remembered her birthday?"

"Of course I remembered. Can I see yours?" Arizona didn't answer her. She just stared into Callie's eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just beautiful." Arizona grabbed the brunette's had and drug her to her painting. "Close your eyes." Callie closed her eyes and let Arizona guide her by her shoulders to where she wanted her. "Okay, open them."

Callie slowly opened her eyes and gasped. "You did all this in only a few hours?"

"Well, yeah. It wasn't that involved."

"Are you kidding me?" Callie took in the large two story Victorian style house Arizona had created. It had a large wrap around porch with circular posts and detailed decorative railings. The dominant two story turret, large front windows and dramatic roof pitches made Callie smile. It's what made her fall in love with the house in the first place. "It's our house." The only difference was that this house was blue instead of yellow and the outside surroundings had some additions.

"It is."

Callie pointed to an oak tree, very much like the one in her own painting. Except this one had a large treehouse in it and a wooden swing dangling from a branch. "Treehouse?"

"Your mom said you had one. I did too growing up. Every kid needs a treehouse." She watched Callie point to another little house on the ground beneath the tree. "And a dog. Maybe two."

"And what is this?" Callie pointed to a small structure hidden slightly behind the house next to a swing set.

"A chicken coop."

"Chickens? Really?"

"Sure, why not?"

Callie leaned in closer to see one of the windows better. "Is that Tink and Sonny in the window."

"Yeah!" Arizona laughed.

Callie wrapped her arm around the back of Arizona's waist, pulled her close, and placed a lingering kiss on her temple. "I love this, Mariposa. Can we put it up in the house?" Arizona nodded and they continued to stare at the painting. Both hoping that this was their future.

"I sighed the papers, Calliope. I already dropped then off at Martha's office." Arizona said after a long silence.

"Good." Callie kissed the blonde's temple again. "That makes me happy."

"I'm sorry I got so mad. I just felt like you do things without talking to me first. I just like to be included. It's a two way relationship, you know?"

"I know and I'm sorry I went about it the way I did, but I'm not sorry I did it. I'm tired of my money causing these problems. I hate it."

"Calliope, your heart is just too big for the rest of the world to understand. There's no one else like you. Sometimes the rest of us don't get it." Arizona paused. "And I'm sorry for destroying the kitchen."

Callie let out a low chuckle. " It's okay. It was going to happen anyway."

"I know, I can't wait." Arizona jumped out of Callie's hold and hurried to her bag. "That reminds me! I got you something earlier." She pulled out a large book and handed it to her girlfriend. "It's a kitchen appliance catalogue. I figured it was like porn to you and that you would like to look through it."

"You're right, it is." Callie grinned. Arizona was always so thoughtful in her unique way. "Since I know you need to be up early, did you just want to crash upstairs at my apartment?"

Arizona stepped closer to Callie and intertwined both their hands. "No way, I want to spend the first night I own my house there with you."

"You're not mad I put your name on it without asking?"

"No, I understand why you did it. I also know that fighting you on it would be pointless. When the time is right, I'm just going to add your name to it anyway. So, it doesn't really matter."

"Arizona, no. It's yours. If anything were to happen to us, I'd want you to keep it."

"Nothing is going to happen to us." Arizona leaned in and stole a quick kiss. "Come on, I want to go home."

"Let me move these to my office first to dry." Callie moved the paintings while Arizona cleaned up their mess. "We should do this more often. I like working with you."

"Maybe we should turn one of those empty bedrooms into an art studio or we can build one in that space above the garage."

"I'd like that." Callie smiled and took Arizona's hand. "Let's go home. Your car or mine?"

"What did you drive?"

"Lucille."

"Can I drive her?!" Arizona bounced up and down in anticipation as she waited for Callie to answer. "Please, please, please!"

Callie shook her head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but okay." She laughed when Arizona squealed in excitement and grabbed her keys out of her pocket.

"Thanks, baby, you're the best!" Arizona skipped up to the Thunderbird parked outside the shop and jumped in the drivers seat. "You coming?" She yelled back at Callie. The brunette just stood right outside the shops door, giving her an endearing smile. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just cute."

"Not cute, hot. If you don't get in, I'm leaving without you and we're taking the long way home!"

Callie rolled her eyes and slid into the passenger seat, something she hasn't done since she was a kid. It felt weird being on this side of the car. She tensed up when Arizona started her baby. "You know how to drive stick, right?"

"Calliope, my Mini is a stick, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Just making sure."

"Relax, babe. I got this." Arizona shifted and went to pull out into the street. She had to slam on the breaks when a sports car came zooming down the street at a high rate of speed. The sudden stop making both women lurch forward in their seats. She could fell Callie's eyes burning a hole through her. "That was not my fault! In fact, my awesome quick reflexes just saved us. You should be thanking me."

Callie rolled her eyes and shifted her body lower in the seat. She didn't want to have to see anything else on this drive.

_God, help me not kill my girlfriend before we even make it home_.

* * *

**Nic's Notes:**

I've never had a chapter have as many opposing opinions among y'all as the last one did. I love it!

.


	30. Chapter 27: I always need you

**Remember when I warned you guys that updates wouldn't come as fast now that school has started? =] Just so you know I love my readers as much as it is possible to love random Internet strangers. **

* * *

Arizona was kneeling on her side of the bed looking down at her sleeping beauty. The blonde has already been up for over an hour and was dressed and ready for the day. "Calliope, wake up!" Arizona poked at her girlfriend's side. She knew this would be no easy task. It was damn near impossible to wake Callie up before nine am, especially on her day off. She leaned over and began nibbling on the brunette's ear while running her hand across her exposed stomach. "Caaaalllliiieee." Arizona frowned when she didn't even move or make a sound. "Seriously?" She carefully stood up on the bed and started jumping up and down. "Calliope! Wake up! It's Destruction Day!" Arizona said excitedly. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Mrmmph." Callie was not happy about her rude wake up call. She grabbed her pillow and rolled onto the floor. Arizona couldn't bounce her from there.

Arizona plopped down on her stomach and peeked over the side of the bed. Callie was laying face down on the floor fast asleep already. She crawled off the bed and straddled her back. "Calliope, they're going to be here any minute. Get up!" Just as she said that she heard the front door slamming shut. "See! They're here!"

"Yo, Torres! I brought coffee!" Mark called from downstairs. Arizona was instantly thrown backwards when Callie shot up and ran out of the bedroom.

"Of course." Arizona shook her head. She knew should have thought of that first, but was too excited about Destruction Day to think straight. She jumped up and ran downstairs where she found Callie, Mark, Lexie, and Alex sitting around the living room sipping on to-go cups. "Who's excited?!"'Arizona asked the room. She only received unenthusiastic groans in response. "Come on guys, this is going to be fun!"

"Babe, why can't we just hire someone to do all this? It would be so much easier and faster." Callie somehow let Arizona talk her into doing most of the work on the kitchen themselves, with the help of their reluctant friends.

"Calliope, we've talked about this. We're going to appreciate it so much more knowing we put our own blood, sweat, and tears into it."

"I know, but can't we hire someone to do the physically demanding stuff? I just want to relax on my day off."

"That's what Alex and Mark are here for." Arizona smiled at the two men. "And they're free."

"Hey, I thought we got unlimited beer and pizza?"

"Of course, Alex."

"Do you know how much beer Mark can drink? It'd be cheaper to higher someone."

"Calliope, don't be a poop."

"A poop? Really?" Callie rolled her eyes. Her girlfriend has the dirtiest (and hottest) bedroom mouth, but uses words like poop around other people.

"Are you guys done? I want to get started." Arizona excitedly ran into the kitchen, hoping they would follow. Alex and Lexie did, leaving Mark alone with Callie.

"I'm sorry she made you come over here today."

"She didn't make me. I'm happy to help, Cal."

"Well, thank you. I guess I should go get dressed and you should go in there before she comes out here with that sledgehammer. I've seen her use it. She has quite a powerful swing."

"Does she even know what she's doing? Is there a plan?"

"I guess Alex does. He worked on most of the bakery. They've been talking non-stop about it for the last week. I've barely been able to get a moment alone with Arizona since the night the house purchase was official."

"It's going to be worth it, Cal."

"Yeah, I know." Callie smiled. Even though she wasn't happy about being drug out of bed so early, she knew Arizona was right. "Go in there and tell her I'll be right down."

"Yes, ma'am." Mark handed Callie the rest of his coffee. "Here. I know you need this more than me."

"You're so good to me." Callie clung onto the cup like a lifeline.

"I know." Mark grinned and headed for the kitchen. "Just remember that when I want a week off."

Callie ignored him and went to their bedroom to change. A spaghetti strap tank top and boxers weren't exactly Destruction Day appropriate attire. The short cut off jean shorts and old t-shirt she chose weren't much better, but she knew at least Arizona would appreciate them. The t-shirt was a bit baggy, so she knotted the bottom at her side to keep it from hanging off her frame. She dug through some of the boxes she had brought over earlier in the week until she found her doc marten work boots. After she pulled them on she went to the bathroom to grab a hair tie and piled all her hair on top of her head, securing it in a messy bun. When Callie left the bathroom, she found Arizona sitting on the bed waiting for her. "Checking up on me?"

"Just making sure you didn't go back to sleep." Arizona ran her eyes over Callie's body. From the perfectly messy hair, down to the knot in her thin t-shirt that exposed her stomach a little and accentuated her breasts, to the very short shorts, down her long flawless legs, ending at the untied black boots. "Um... is that what you're wearing to work in?"

"Yeah? What's wrong with it?"

"You just need a tool belt and hard hat and you could star in Busty Construction Girls: Part Twelve."

"You've been spending too much time with Cristina."

"If you wear that I won't get anything done."

"Well not all of us own a pair of long overalls past the age of ten." Callie had to admit Arizona looked adorable in her braids, tank top, and overalls.

"Hey, don't make fun of my lucky overalls!"

"I don't even want to know." Callie bent over to tie her boots. "And I'm not changing." She straightened up and moved to sit by the blonde in the bed. "Are you sure you're ready for this? I know it's a big change."

"I have a lot of happy memories of sitting on that counter as a little girl and watching Nana cook enough food to feed an army. I'll always have those memories whether the kitchen looks the same or not. I want to make it our own."

"Okay, let's do it." Callie grinned and kissed her girlfriend's lips.

Arizona hopped up and pulled Callie to her feet. "Alex and Mark already moved all the furniture from the dining room to the garage, so I think we're going to finish knocking out that wall first."

"You're the boss."

"Don't you forget it." Arizona winked at the brunette. "Come on before the boys take all the fun." They went downstairs to find Mark wrapped around Lexie's back, showing her how to properly hold the sledgehammer to get the best swing and hit. Alex was pulling the stove away from the wall. He had already pulled out the dishwasher and refrigerator.

"Hey Boss, where are these going?" Alex asked pointing to the appliances he grouped together in a corner.

"In your truck and then they are going to be donated."

"Sloan, I'm going to need your help." Alex grunted as he struggled to push the stove across the kitchen floor.

"Hold on, I'm busy." Mark hugged Lexie closer. "You're going to want to spread your feet apart so you have better balance."

"She knows what she's doing. I saw her take out a whole wall by herself down at the bakery when we were remodeling. Now come on, I want to get out of here sometime today."

Mark scowled at Alex and left to go to the garage to get the dolly he left there when he moved Arizona's large hutch.

Alex turned to the waiting women, "You guys can start taking the drawers and cabinet doors off and throwing them out in the dumpster. Then we'll get rid of the cabinets and counters. That will give us enough room to rip up the floors and finish off this wall."

"You got it, Boss." Arizona said and smiled when Alex dipped his head shyly. For the next couple of hours the friends joked around as they worked to clear the kitchen of what they could. Arizona spent a little too much time watching Callie's ass as she bent over to pick up debris off the ground.

"You're staring, Blondie." Mark said after he caught her watching Callie for the fourth time.

"Can you blame me?"

Mark looked between Lexie and Callie. "I'm not going to answer that. It would probably only get me in trouble."

"Uh huh." Arizona smirked. She looked to where Alex had opened up the kitchen walls and was now poking at the newly exposed wires. "The electrician and plumber are coming tomorrow, Alex. You're welcome to wait here for them if you want to watch."

"Okay, Boss. I think I will. Make sure they're doing it right."

"Great that saves Calliope the trouble of having to be here for them."

"Yeah, thanks Karev!" Callie smiled and started backing the large peice of countertop her and Lexie were carrying out the back door. She misjudged the width of it and accidentally hit the corner against the door frame. The force of the contact made the heavy tile slip out of her hands, the sharp edge slicing right through her lower leg. She jumped back away from the tile and looked down at her blood covered throbbing leg. "Son of a bitch!"

"Oh my god, Callie! Are you okay?" Lexie asked, still gripping onto her side of the countertop.

Arizona looked over in alarm and saw blood running down Callie's leg and into her boot. She ran over and squatted down to get a better look at the wound. It was long and looked deep. "Calliope! What happened?"

"I dropped the counter." Callie sat down on the ground. Her leg was stinging and she was now bleeding all over the kitchen floor. "Good thing we're replacing this. I was hoping it wouldn't be my blood you wanted to put into the kitchen." Her eyes started to water from the pain. She was determined not to also add the tears.

"Babe, I'm sorry, but I really think we need to go to the hospital. It looks really bad and probably needs stitches." Arizona took the clean towel Mark had fetched for her. She gently covered the gash and applied pressure. Blood soaked threw it almost immediately. She took a second towel and covered the now blood soaked one. "This is bad, Calliope." She had to convince Callie to go get it looked at.

"Noo!" Callie whined. "It's fine." It wasn't fine at all. Callie couldn't remember ever feeling pain like this and she's broken bones before.

"Calliope, you can't fool me." Arizona cupped Callie's cheek with her blood free hand and ran her thumb over her cheek bone. "I can tell you're trying to hide that you're in pain."

"But what about the kitchen?"

"We're almost done for today anyway. These guys can finish it up no time." Arizona kissed Callie's pounting lips. "Do you think you can stand up?"

"If you help me." Callie grabbed Arizona's outstretched hand and attempted to stand up. When she got to her feet, she tried to put pressure on her injured leg, but it hurt too much. She was starting to feel dizzy from lack of food and all the blood surrounding her. Arizona saw her sway a little and wrapped Callie's arm around her shoulders. "Here, lean on me." When Callie didn't move, she looked into her unfocused brown eyes. "Calliope? Are you okay?"

"I don't feel very good."

"Do you think we should call for an ambulance?" Mark asked. His best friend was looking pretty pale.

"No! No ambulance." Callie snapped. "I'll agree to the ER, but no ambulance. I can walk just fine." She gingerly tried to put her foot on the ground, but cringed when pain shot through her leg. "Mark, help." She whined and let Mark pick her up and bring her out to Arizona's car.

"Thank you, Mark. Are you guys okay here?"

"No problem, Blondie. We'll be fine. Just keep me updated."

"Will do." Arizona hugged him and slid into the drivers seat. She glanced over at Callie, who had her head rested back on the seat and her eyes closed. She knew her girlfriend must be feeling pretty bad if she didn't argue about getting into the blonde's car. Arizona started the car and carefully maneuvered around the large dumpster they had rented. Once she was free of that obstacle, she zoomed out of the driveway, skidding on the loose gravel. She was sure she broke every law possible on the way to the hospital, but managed to make it there in less than ten minutes. "Wait here, I'm going to go get you a wheelchair." When Calle surprisingly didn't protest, she jumped out of the car and was lucky enough to find a bunch of empty wheelchairs just inside the ER entrance. She grabbed one and rolled it out to her car and opened the passenger side door. "Calliope, can you get out and sit in the chair?" Callie was being unusually quiet and it was starting to scare Arizona. "Callie?" She gently grabbed the brunette's elbow and managed to slowly coax her out of the car and into the wheelchair. "Babe, say something. You're worrying me." She said as she pushed her girlfriend into the ER.

"I love you." Callie said softly. She didn't mean to worry Arizona, she just tended to internalize her pain, both physically and emotionally.

Arizona smiled. "I love you too." She parked the wheelchair in the almost empty waiting area. Luckily the small town hospital wasn't too busy in the middle of a Monday afternoon. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go check you in."

Callie nodded and watched as the blonde approached the nurses station. After some discussion, the nurse handed Arizona a clipboard and pointed to a little room directly across from them. Arizona nodded and walked back towards Callie. "Okay, I convinced him to let me fill these out while he takes your vitals." She stepped behind Callie and pushed her to the little triage room the nurse had showed her. She sat in the extra chair and looked down at the papers in her hand. She was pleasantly surprised to see that she could probably answer most of these questions without Callie's help. The nurse came in to check Callie's blood pressure, temp, and to ask a few questions. After he was finished, he took Callie and put her in a room to wait for the doctor. Arizona wasn't sure if she was allowed to follow them through the secure door, but she did anyway. There was no way anyone could stop her from being with her girlfriend. She sat down in the edge of the bed they had moved Callie to and focused back on the paperwork. She smiled broadly when she got to put her own address as Callie's.

Callie noticed the blonde's happy look. "I didn't realize filing out hospital paperwork was so much fun."

Arizona looked up to find Callie watching her with an amused expression on her face. The brunette didn't look as pale as she did in the kitchen. "Oh. Well, not really. I was just smiling because we have the same address now."

Callie matched Arizona's grin. "Yeah, that makes me happy too."

"I was able to answer everything except the insurance stuff and I wasn't sure if you wanted Mark as your emergency contact or your dad, since he's been around more now. Or I guess maybe Aria?" She looked up at Callie waiting for an answer.

"I want you, dork." Callie laughed at the look of shock on her girlfriends face. "I'd hope that you'd want me too."

"Of course I do." Arizona smiled. "I guess it didn't even cross my mind. I've never been someone else's emergency contact before."

"Well, get used to it. You're stuck with me now."

"I'm not stuck with you." Arizona got off the bed and moved to the head of it so she could kiss Callie. "I want to be here with you. I like taking care of you."

"I like you taking care of me too." Callie looked toward the door when the triage nurse came back.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need those papers so I can enter it into the system."

"Oh, right." Arizona grinned as she put her own name and info as the emergency contact. "Insurance?"

"No, guess I'm paying out of pocket." Callie made sure her employees were taken care of insurance wise, but never bothered to get herself covered. She reminded herself to look into that when she went back to work.

"Okay, here you go." Arizona handed the clipboard back to the nurse.

"Thanks. Dr. Hahn shouldn't be too much longer."

After the nurse left, Callie and Arizona stared dumbly at the door. "Did he just say.."

"Yeah. I think he did." Callie sighed and threw her bed back against the raised bed. She completely forgot Erica was an Emergency Room doctor here. "Of course."

"Any chance that there are any other Dr. Hahns that work at this hospital?"

Arizona's question was answered when the last person both women wanted to see stepped inside the room. Without looking up she grabbed the chart out of the slot on the door. "Okay, Ms..." Erica's head shot up when she read the name on the chart. "Callie? What are you doing here?"

"What the fuck do you think, Erica?" Callie snapped. She was nauseated, she was in pain, and she did not want to deal with this right now.

Erica looked to the other blonde in the room. Arizona's eyes were daring her to say anything out of line. Erica squared her shoulders and cautiously moved closer to Callie. "Do you mind?" She asked pointing at Callie's leg.

"Just do what you have to do, so we can get out of here." Callie winced and pulled her leg away when Erica went to remove the blood soaked towels. She wasn't sure if it was from the pain from her injury or the fact that Erica was touching her again. Her exes ice cold hands made her shudder. As if Arizona could read her mind, she rested a warm comforting hand on Callie's other thigh. The brunette looked up to meet her girlfriend's eyes, the blonde silently asking her if she was okay. Callie nodded and continued to stare into Arizona's reassuring blue eyes. It made her forget why she was there and who else was in the room.

"Callie, there is already significant bruising, but with some stitches, you will be fine." Erica took off her gloves and threw them into the trash with more force than necessary. "I'll send someone else to clean and stitch you up. You don't have to be burdened by my presence anymore." She waited for an answer. When she received none, she stormed out of the room. The way the two women ignored her irritated her.

"You okay, baby?" Arizona leaned down to kiss Callie's forehead. "I know you weren't expecting to see her."

"You're here. I'm more than okay." Callie was a little thrown off at first, but quickly realized how good her life was now. "I'm still feeling a little sick. Do you think you can convince them to give me something to eat?"

"Of course. I'll be right back." Arizona pecked Callie's lips and left the room. A minute after she left, the door opened again and Erica slipped in.

"I thought you were sending someone else to do my stitches?"

"I saw your watch dog leave and wanted to talk to you."

"No, Erica. You don't get that privilege anymore." Calle crossed her arms over her chest and looked directly in her ex-girlfriend's stone cold eyes. She was sick of letting this woman make her feel like she wasn't worth anything. Arizona has showed her how untrue that really was.

"I've changed. I'm not like I used to be. I was an idiot. I realize now that you are a lot to lose."

"You're right, I am a lot to lose." Callie decided now would be a good time to put the truth out there. "You'll never understand what you did to me. You destroyed me. I hated you for so long, Erica."

"Hated? Does that mean you don't hate me anymore?" Erica asked hopefully.

"No, I don't. Arizona showed me there's no room in my heart for hate."

Erica scoffed, "Seriously? That sounds like a line from an anti-bully campaign or something."

"Her brother was murdered right in front of her. His murderers walked free for five years."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"One of the kids held back evidence for all five years. You know what Arizona said?"

Erica waited for the answer, but Callie wasn't volunteering it. "Fine, what?"

"She asked that he not be sent to jail. She should hate him. She should hate the men who murdered her own brother, but she doesn't. She doesn't want all that toxic hate inside of her. Arizona is everything that is good in this world. I wish the everyone could be like her." Callie paused. Erica was acting like she wasn't listening, but she knew she had the blonde's attention. "So, no Erica. I don't hate you anymore. Doesn't mean I have to like you though. I think you're the exact opposite of Arizona."

"Cal, come on." Erica stepped closer. "We can try again."

Callie sighed, "Are you even listening? That is never going to happen."

She saw over Erica's shoulder that Arizona had quietly snuck back in the room and was leaning against the door frame. She wondered how long she has been there. The blonde nodded her head and gave her an encouraging smile. "I know what it's like to have someone who loves me for me and who isn't afraid to love me back. Someone who not only doesn't hide me, but is proud to have me." Callie locked eyes with her smiling girlfriend. "I know what it's like to know for sure that I'm truly deeply in love. I'd never give that up for anything or anyone, especially not for you."

Erica could tell the brunette's attention was focused on something behind her, but didn't need to look to know what. The light in Callie's eyes told her exactly who it was. A look Erica has never seen before. She couldn't help but think that Callie has never looked more beautiful. Erica turned her head to see that the other woman had a similar look. Both womans bright toothy smiles lit up the room and their faces were glowing. It was making Erica angry, but she didn't know what to say. It was obvious that Callie wasn't going to listen to her with the other blonde distracting her.

"Erica, I really hope you can find someone to share your life with. Someone you love and can't live without. It really is the best feeling in the world. Even though I don't like you, everyone should have a chance to feel like this." Callie said, still lost in the ocean of Arizona's eyes.

Erica just turned and stomped out of the room making sure to shoulder check Arizona on the way out. Erica really wanted to slap the grinning blonde across the face, this wasn't the time or place for that though.

"So, food?" Callie asked Arizona hopefully. She preferred to pretend Erica wasn't here.

"She said she needed to check with the doctor first and would bring you something if it was okay." Arizona sat back down on the bed. "Are we going to talk about that?" She asked pointing her thumb at the door.

"There is nothing to talk about. I didn't feel any bad feelings when she was in here. I'm done with her for good. She doesn't make me feel inferior anymore." Callie took Arizona's hands between her own. "And it feels so fucking good to finally be able to say that."

"See there was a positive side to mangling your leg, even though it wouldn't have happened if you would have listened to me in the first place."

"I was waiting for the 'I told you so' comment."

"I had to make sure your leg wasn't going to fall off or something first."

"Don't think I wasn't aware of you staring at me every time I bent over."

"You don't think I noticed that you purposely made sure to take your sweet time every time you did?"

"Busted." Callie grinned broadly and lifted Arizona's hands to her mouth. She placed a light kiss on the tip of all ten fingers. "I love you."

"I love you too." Arizona freed her hands from her girlfriend's grip and ran her fingers down Callie's soft cheek. Smiling at the way the brunette purred against her touch. Their little bubble was popped when a nervous looking intern came stumbling in with a cart of suture supplies.

"You're not the one doing her leg are you?" Arizona asked.

"Umm... yes?" The mousy little girl answered.

"No, no way. You're like what? Twelve?"

"Arizona, it's okay." Callie squeezed the blonde's hand, trying to get her to back down.

"How many times have you done this unsupervised?"

"A few. I was the best in my class though." The intern said proudly.

"Not good enough. Go find someone else." Arizona stood up and moved quickly toward the girl. She towered over the pint sized doctor and used her mothers best 'I'm serious' face to try and intimidate her into leaving.

"Babe, it's fine. She needs the practice. I'm perfectly okay with having her do it on me." Calle knew how hard it was starting out on anything and not having people let you have a chance. She smiled at the intern, trying to get her more comfortable. The way Arizona was staring her down would make anyone fidget as much as the doctor was now. "Arizona, seriously. You're scaring her. Do I have to make you leave?"

Arizona's expression softened. She wanted to be here for Callie more than anything. "I'm sorry. Do what you need to do." She sat back on the bed and took Callie's hand. "Squeeze my hand as much as you need too."

"Thanks?" The intern was surprised Dr. Hahn was letting her do this. Erica was one of the only doctors here who wouldn't let interns do anything other than clean up vomit, blood, and bedpans. She was determined not to mess this up. She worked slowly, but efficiently. Her patient was a model patient, not moving or interuppting her with inane chatter or questions. After checking and re-checking her work, she gathered her stuff and looked up to the two sets of eyes watching her curiously. "All set. Dr. Hahn has already discharged you, so you're free to go." After she left a different nurse came in with instructions on how to take care of the wound and to give Callie the prescriptions Dr. Hahn gave her. She also pulled out a bag of trail mix out of her pocket for Callie. Dr. Hahn never answered her about the food, but the nurse knew it would be okay. She laughed when Callie snatched it out of her hand, tore it forcibly open, and dumped some of the contents into her mouth.

"Fank you." Callie said gratefully through her mouth full of food. As she chewed, she picked out the raisins from what was left of the bag and set them in Arizona's waiting outstretched hand. Callie loved that her girlfriend knew she hated raisins and had taken it upon herself to get rid of them without having to ask her. She happily munched on the rest of her food while Arizona listened to all the care instructions and asked the right questions for Callie. When the nurse left, Arizona shoved the handful of raisins into her mouth and turned to Callie.

"Feeling better? You look better."

"Yup! Can we go home now?"

"We have to go to the pharmacy first. They prescribed you an antibiotic and some painkillers."

"I don't need them, I feel fine."

"Only because they numbed your leg. When that wears off you won't be feeling so fine. Trust me, you'll want them."

"Whatever you say, Dr. Robbins." Callie smiled wickedly, a sudden new doctor/patient fantasy popping into her head. She was in a surprisingly great mood for having just sliced her leg open, seeing Erica, and sitting in the hospital for a few hours.

"Callie, wipe that look off your face. It's not going to happen." Arizona laughed when the brunette popped a peanut in her mouth and smiled wider at her. "At least not until you're healed."

"You can't wait that long." Callie knew how much her girlfriend loved sex. There was no way she'd be able to hold out for more than at least a week.

"Yes I can!" Arizona knew Callie was right, but she could at least say she tried.

"Uh, huh. We'll see." Callie noticed the nurse had come back with a wheelchair. "I can walk!"

"No you can't." The nurse said. "I'd love to see you try though."

Callie huffed and threw down her now empty bag of trail mix. She carefully sat up on the edge of the bed and planted both feet on the ground. Slowly standing up, her injured leg gave out from under her. Luckly the nurse knew better and was right there to catch her. "Now sit and shush." She said while pushing her patient into the wheelchair. She let the brunette's partner take the handles and push her outside.

"I thought we'd stay at your old apartment for a few nights, since you're not technically moved out yet. That way I can easily check up on you while I'm at work." Arizona said as she helped Callie into her car.

"Sure. That way I can get some packing done."

"No, you need to stay off your leg."

"It's fine!"

"We'll see." Arizona knew that once her girlfriend really starts to feel the pain, she'd see she won't be able to move about. After a quick stop at the drugstore, Arizona pulled up to Callie's apartment. She frowned when she saw Cristina's car was there too. She had already forced Callie into taking a pain pill in the parking lot of the drugstore, so the brunette was starting to fade fast. Arizona carefully stood Callie up outside of the car and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. With the help of the railing, they very carefully and tediously made it up the stairs one by one. When they got to the door, Arizona kicked at it hoping Cristina would answer. When nothing happened she kicked at it again. Callie was leaning more and more of her dead weight against her.

"Hold on! Jeeze!" She heard yelling from the inside. After what felt like forever, the door finally opened. Cristina took in the scene in front of her. "Why are you dressed like a toddler and why does she look like a drunken character from Busty Construction girls?"

Callie burst out into a fit of laughter. "I told you you are spending way too much time with Yang!"

"What is she talking about?" Cristina looked down and noticed Callie's bandaged leg. "And what did you do to her?"

Arizona rolled her eyes. "I didn't do anything to her. It was an accident." She started to drag Callie inside, but the brunette was fully resting her weight against her now. "A little help, maybe?" With Cristina's help, the two woman were able to get Callie onto her bed. Arizona carefully removed her blood covered boots and socks, throwing them into a trash bag. She could just buy some more later. Next she was able to pull her shorts off. Since there was no way to get Callie into the bathroom, Arizona gathered some towels and filled the trash can with hot soapy water. She gently started scrubbing at her girlfriends legs and feet. The layers of dust, plaster, and blood that were caked on her skin left a gross crusty layer of almost impenetrable grime. It was almost a shame to see the usually flawless skin this way. Arizona realized that the medication made Callie pass out, so she began to scrub at her more vigoursly, hoping she wouldn't wake her up. After using all the clean towels she could find, five buckets of water changes, and a now full trash bag, Arizona decided she was as clean as she was going to get. Since Callie hadn't moved an inch or showed any other signs of life since they got home, Arizona went to take her own shower. She left the door open and rushed through it as fast as she could, in case Callie needed her. She didn't remember that she used all the clean towels to sponge bathe her girlfriend until she was already done with her shower. Arizona sighed and dug threw the hamper until she found an old dirty towel. She was sure Callie had only used it once or twice and it smelled fine. She wrapped it around her body and went back into the bedroom to find that Callie hadn't moved at all. She put some of Callie's pajamas on and decided to crawl in bed next to her girlfriend. Arizona hugged Callie close from behind and even though it was still light out, she fell asleep almost instantly from the exhaustion of their day.

Arizona was startled out of her sleep four hours later by what she thought sounded like a low whimper. She saw that Callie was still facing the other direction. "Callie?" Arizona got out of bed and moved around to the side Callie was facing. She knelt down so she was face to face with the slumbering brunette. It didn't seem like she had stirred at all during their nap. Callie's face scrunched up and she whimpered again. Arizona rested her hand on Callie's cheek. The brunette's skin was moist with sweat, but she wasn't burning up like she had a fever. She brushed away the raven hair that was sticking to her sweaty forehead and threw the covers off Callie's body onto the floor. "Calliope? Are you awake?" She received another whimper and face scrunch in response. Arizona would have thought it was adorable if she wasn't so worried. She closely watched her face, waiting to see if Callie woke up. After a minute brown eyes peeked out from droopy eyelids. "Callie? How are you feeling?"

"Arizona?" Callie asked weakly.

"Yeah, baby. I'm here." Arizona rested her palm back on Callie's pale cheek. She smiled at the brunette's sad attempt to smile at her. "Do you need anything?"

"I think I need to throw up." Callie tried to sit up, but stopped when dizziness set in. "Whoa." She slowly lowered herself back down.

"Here, if you need to, do it in here. I love you, but I'm not sure we're at that stage where I'm okay with cleaning your vomit off you."

Callie smiled as best she could. "Yeah we are. You'd do it if you had to."

"You're right, I'd do anything for you." Arizona leaned in and lightly kissed Callie's barely responsive lips.

"I'd clean up your puke too" Callie said as she kicked at imaginary covers, not noticing they were already gone. She whimpered again like a wounded puppy when pain shot up her leg. "Why is it so hot in here?"

Arizona frowned. The temperature felt fine to her. "I'll go turn the thermostat down. Be right back." She kissed the brunette's forehead and hurried out of the room. When she came back, Callie was leaning over the edge of the bed, retching into the garbage can. Arizona rushed over to Callie's side and rubbed her hand flat across her back, trying to comfort her. "My poor baby."

When Callie lifted her upper body back onto the bed, Arizona went to the bathroom to clean out the bucket and get a wet washcloth. She came back to clean off Callie's mouth and wipe down her face. "I'm sorry." Callie mumbled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Feel better now?"

"Much." Callie struggled to keep her eyes open, but lost the battle and was soon back asleep again.

Arizona didn't know what to do. She felt awful about how not only did Callie have an nasty injury on her leg, but she was also sick. She shouldn't be like this. After searching the internet fruitlessly for answers, Arizona sucked up her pride and found Callie's phone. "Please still be in here, please still be in here." She whispered, scrolling down the contacts and finding what she needed. "Yes!" She hit send and held her breath. The person answered after only two rings.

"Callie?" Erica said hopefully.

Arizona let out her breath slowly. She knew she needed to control herself if she wanted this woman to help her. "No, um... It's Arizona."

"Oh..."

"I'm worried about Calliope." Arizona said after a long silence.

"Is she okay?" Erica asked, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.

"I don't know. That's why I'm calling you. You were her doctor after all."

"What's wrong with her?" Erica chose to ignore the sarcasm in the blonde's voice.

"She's like passed out, sweating even though its not warm in here, and she just vomited before falling right back asleep again. Should she be sleeping this much? I mean, she's always been a hevay sleeper, but it's like she's dead."

"Yeah, I remember." Erica smirked. She couldn't resist reminding this woman she has slept with Callie in the past.

"Erica, please." Arizona was desperate to know if her love was going to be okay.

Erica could hear the worry in Arizona's voice. "Fine. Does she have a fever?"

"I don't think so." Arizona felt Callie's forehead and cheeks again. "It doesn't fell like it."

"Do you have a thermometer just to make sure?"

"Let me check." Arizona took the phone into the bathroom and rummaged around in the drawers. "Found one! Hold on." She set the phone down on the nightstand and shook Callie's shoulder. "Calliope, I need you to wake up for a second."

"Nooo." Callie whined.

"I just need to take your temp, then you can go right back to sleep." Arizona shook her again when she didn't answer. "If you don't put this in your mouth, then I'm going to stick it up your butt." She laughed when Callie immediately opened her mouth. She had her hold it under her tongue until it beeped and picked the phone back up. "Erica? Still there?"

Erica exhaled loudly into the phone, "Yeah, I'm still here."

"It says 98.8"

"That's not really anything to be concerned about. Can you unwrap her leg and tell me if it looks off in any way?"

Arizona frowned. She had no idea what it was supposed to look like. "Sure..." She held the phone between her shoulder and ear and carefully took Callie's leg into one hand, while slowly unwrapping it with the other. "Umm... it looks like a big stitched up cut."

"Does it look like it could possibly be infected?" It was likely that it wasn't, but stranger things have happened.

"How the hell would I know that?" Arizona snapped without thinking. She inhaled deeply, held her breath for a second, then exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry. Can you please tell me what to look for."

"Does the area seem red?"

"I wouldn't say red, just pink and very bruised." The wound and surrounding bruises were an interesting mix of colors. It almost looked like a piece of twisted art.

"Any discharge? Extra swelling?"

"No and I don't think so."

"What about temp? Does it feel hot when you touch it?"

Arizona gingerly placed her hand over Callie's wound. "No, it feels fine."

"Okay, you can wrap it back up. Has she been taking the meds I prescribed?"

"Yes, she had an antibiotic and a painkiller." Arizona checked the clock on the nightstand. "It's about time for more, actually."

"It's probably a reaction to the pain meds. I'm going to call in some anti-nausea meds and a new pain med that isn't as strong. What pharmacy do you use?"

"Swensons." Arizona looked down at her sleeping girlfriend. She seemed so frail and fragile right now. It hurt the blonde's heart to see her this way.

"Okay, give it half an hour and go pick them up. Call me back if this doesn't work or if she gets worse."

"Thank you , Erica."

"Yeah, well I'm just the doctor, right?" Erica waited for an answer, but received none. "I did love her, you know. I just didn't know how to show it." She said quietly. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to explain herself to this woman.

"I'm not going to talk about her with you."

"Can you tell her I'm sorry for hurting her?"

"Tell her yourself."

"She isn't going to listen to me."

"Yes she will. Calliope has a very forgiving heart."

"Just take care of her. I know I did an awful job of doing it."

"I am."

"Bye Arizona."

Arizona hung up and went to see if Cristina was still awake. She found her sitting at the counter staring down at a bowl of cereal. "Hey Cristina, can you do me a favor?"

"Nope." Cristina put a large spoonful of Chex in her mouth. She thought maybe Arizona would take the hint and not talk to her anymore.

"Okay, can you do Callie a favor? She's really sick."

Cristina looked up with, what Arizona thought was, a look of concern. "What's wrong with Cal?"

"Erica thinks her meds were too strong. She called in new ones to that twenty four hour pharmacy on Main Street."

"Swensons?"

"Yes, can you-" Arizona was quickly interrupted.

"I'm on it." Cristina jumped off the barstool, grabbed her car keys, and headed out the door. Arizona shook her head and smiled. She knew Cristina cared for Callie very much, even though she rarely showed it. She went back to the bedroom to wait for Cristina to come back. She laid back down next to Callie and hugged her close. Arizona accidentally drifted off to sleep and was shaken awake by Cristina. "Here." She held out a bag and a glass of water. "It smells like vomit and sweat in here."

"Thanks Cristina. How much do I owe you?" Arizona sat up and tried to rub the tiredness out of her eyes.

"Don't worry about it."

"I have to pay you back."

"I wouldn't mind some muffins." Cristina shrugged.

"Okay, just come by whenever you want."

Cristina nodded and looked over to her friend. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so."

"Just make sure that smell stays in here."

"I will." Arizona shook her head when Cristina left. She turned to Callie and rubbed up and down her arm. "Callie, babe. I'm sorry, you have to sit up." She moved her hand under her back to try and push her up. "This is the last time tonight, I promise."

"Ari..." Callie groaned. She felt like she just wanted to sleep forever.

"You need to take these pills. They'll make you feel better." Arizona really hoped she wasn't lying. If this didn't work, she was going to kill Erica.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Do you think you can sit up for me?"

With all the strength Callie had left in her body, she managed to prop herself up on her elbows just enough to lift her head up and allow Arizona to place her meds in her mouth. She gulped down the entire glass of water and dropped back down. "Love you." Even in her state, she knew how pathetic she sounded.

"I love you too. Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Callie was asleep before Arizona had a chance to take the glass out of her hand. She unwrapped Callie's fingers from the glass and set it back on the nightstand.

"Goodnight, Calliope." She kissed the brunettes temple and settled down into her side. Even though she was worried about her girlfriend, she was able to fall asleep easily.

Callie woke up sometime in the middle of the night shivering and disoriented. The room was freezing cold, the covers seemed to be missing, and she was only wearing a thin tshirt and her underwear. She felt Arizona curled around her back, probably trying to suck out all her warmth. The blonde's breathing was slow and steady against the back of her neck. Callie lifted her head to see if she could find where the covers went, but didn't see them at the end of the bed or on the floor next to her side. Callie attempted to move to her back, but was halted by the pain in her leg. "Ow, fuck!" She said louder than she meant to. For a second, she had forgotten about the day before. The horrible taste in her mouth and her throbbing leg made everything come flooding back to memory. She felt Arizona stirring behind her and chuckled when the blonde's hand automatically landed on her chest.

"You sound like you're feeling better." Arizona said, sleepiness stunting her voice.

"Way better, besides the pain in my leg."

Arizona reached behind her blindly to grab the prescription bottle off the nightstand on her side of the bed. "Here, it's time for another one." She shoved the bottle in Callie's hand.

"What would I do without you?" Callie dry swallowed her pill and wiggled her butt into her girlfriend. "Is the air conditioner on? It's freezing in here."

"You were hot earlier, so I turned it on." Arizona sat up and pulled the covers off the floor. She covered both of them up and cuddled into Callie again. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I was worried."

"I'm sorry I worried you. Thank you for taking care of me."

"I'm happy to do it." Arizona kissed Callie's shoulder. "Not that I like seeing you hurt or sick, but I like being needed."

"I always need you, Arizona. I hope you know that."

"Somewhere deep inside, I do." Arizona smiled against Callie's shoulder. The two women enjoyed the feel of each other in silence. After awhile, Callie could feel her meds starting to kick in and drifted off to sleep again.

It was bright in her bedroom the next time Callie woke up. She slowly opened her eyes to let then adjust to the morning light. Her eyes immediately fell on the cup of coffee and small bag from Awesome Bakery sitting on her nightstand. There was also three pills lined up and a note. Since she was starving, she reached out for the bag first and found her favorite chocolate chip muffin inside. Grinning she shoved a piece in her mouth and picked up the note. Butterflies took over her growling stomach when she read what it said.

_I always need you too, Calliope. _


	31. Chapter 28: Never let this one go

**This is kind of just a filler chapter that probably would have been better as the ending of the last one.**

**I think I fixed the weird ass formatting issue that happened. Stupid iPhone. **

**Just kidding iPhone, I love you!**

* * *

"Calliope, what are you doing?" Arizona covered her mouth with her hand to hold in the laugh that was trying to force its way out.

"I wanted to take a bath. I feel disgusting."

"Baby, you know you're not supposed to get your stitches wet."

"I know that! Why do you think I have this?" Callie held up a roll of Saran wrap.

"That still doesn't explain why you're laying on the bathroom floor in only your bra." Arizona had come home to the apartment on a lunch break to check on Calle and found her spread eagle on the bathroom floor.

"It hurts." Callie pouted. She hated admitting she couldn't do this herself. She's always been independent and she couldn't even handle the simple task of bathing herself. She was still hurting, weak, and a little nauseous when she stood up, despite the breakfast and coffee. Or maybe it was because of the muffin and coffee. Callie threw the roll of Saran wrap at the blonde. "Help me!"

"Callie..."

"Help me, please!"

Arizona released her laugh and knelt down next to Callie's head and pushed her up into a sitting position. The brunette scooted over until her back was against the wall and watched as her girlfriend carefully handled her leg. "You're good at this."

"Wrapping legs in plastic wrap?"

"Taking care of people."

"Just you." Arizona smiled up at Callie and patted her leg. "All done. Are you good now?"

"No, that was the easy part." A mischievous smile crept across Callie's face. "I think you need to take a bath with me."

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh." Callie stuck her lip out as far as it would go. "Please?"

"You're going to milk this aren't you?"

"Maybe." Callie grinned again. She could probably easily take her bath once she had help getting into the bathtub, but might as well have some company.

"Fine, but we'll have to make it fast. I need to go back to work." Arizona relieved Callie of her bra and went to take off her own clothes. "And we're using my bubble bath."

"Why not mine?"

"Mines happier." Arizona started the water and dumped in just the right amount of grape scented bubble bath.

"I don't even know how to respond to that." When the bath was full, Callie carefully stood up. With the help of her girlfriend, she was able to sit in the bath with her leg propped up on the edge of the tub, so it wasn't fully submerged.

Arizona tapped her girlfriend's shoulder. "Scoot forward." When Callie moved to give her room, she slid in behind the brunette, wrapping her legs around her hips and pulling Callie's back into her front. She grabbed the loofa and squirted some body wash onto it. Callie leaned her head back and rested it on Arizona's shoulder, enjoying the way the blonde rubbed at her arms and front with the loofa. Arizona was enjoying the way Callie's skin felt slick with soap. There was nothing sexual about it, just two women enjoying the feel of one another. Arizona gently lifted Callie's head from her shoulder and untangled the hair band that has been in there for twenty four hours now. Once she was free from the obstacle she used a cup to wet the raven hair and gently massaged shampoo into into it.

"Mmm, I think you need to always take a bath with me." Callie purred. The feeling of Arizona's fingers on her scalp was heavenly.

"That can be arranged." Arizona smiled. The brunette was putty in her hands right now and she loved it. She dumped some more water on her head to rinse the shampoo out. When she was finished she wrapped her arms around Callie and kissed her shoulder. "Ready to get out?"

"Five more minutes." Callie leaned her head back against the blonde's shoulder again. She was asleep within the next minute.

Arizona noticed that Callie's breathing change. "Calliope?" She only received a small snore in response. She chuckled and kissed Callie's cheek. "I love you." She held her love until the water got too cool. Last thing Callie needed was a cold on top of everything else. "Baby, we should get out of the tub." Arizona shook Callie awake.

"Don't wanna." Callie's teeth chattered.

"Yes, it's too cold. You're shivering." Arizona propped Callie up in a sitting position. "Hold on." She climbed out of the tub and wrapped herself in one of the clean towels she had stolen from Cristina's disgusting bathroom. She held her hands out for Callie to take. Once the brunette was standing on her uninjured leg, Arizona wrapped her in a towel. "Come on, I'll take you to bed. It's warm and you can sleep there."

"Okay." Callie felt too tired to argue. She couldn't wait for her leg to heal. These meds were kicking her ass.

Arizona laid Callie down on the bed and crawled in next to her. She hugged Callie until the brunette fell back asleep, which wasn't very long. She got up and got dressed to go back to work. She kissed Callie's forehead goodbye and left a note saying to call her if she needed anything. When she got home from work five hours later, she found Callie exactly as she left her. Tinkerbell was curled up on the pillow next to her. Since she was sure Callie hadn't eaten anything since that morning, she went into the kitchen to try and find something.

"What are you doing?" Cristina asked when she found the blonde rummaging through her cupboards.

"Trying to find something I can feed Callie. All I can find is a bunch of random stuff. Nothing I can just microwave."

"Yeah, Callie doesn't really keep anything microwaveable here."

"Do you know how to make anything? Nothing I know how to make will settle with her stomach." The list of things she could cook was very small and mostly consisted of melting cheese on something.

"Does cereal and coffee count?" Cristina usually relied on Callie and Owen to feed her most of the time.

"No." Arizona thought for a minute. When she didn't feel well she always loved it when her mom made her chicken noodle soup. She ran to Callie's room to grab her phone and dialed her mom's number.

"Hi Mom!"

"Hey Zona! What's wrong?"

"Callie's sick and I was hoping you could walk me through how to make your chicken noodle soup." She frowned when her mother burst into laughter. "I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry, honey. That was rude of me." Barbara laughed again.

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay. I believe in you." Barbara took in a deep breath trying to quell her laughter. "I want you to write down every detail I tell you and follow my directions exactly."

"I can do that." Arizona grabbed a pen and a pad of paper. She wrote down the long list of directions her mom gave her. They were so detailed even a five year old should be able to do it. "Thanks Mom!"

"You're welcome baby girl. Let me know how it goes and I hope Callie feels better soon. Give her a kiss for me."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you too." Barbara hung up and shook her head. She tried to believe in her daughter, but she knew her too well.

Even though she knew she shouldn't be, Arizona was still surprised to find that Callie had everything she needed to make the soup. She pulled everything out and stood back to look at the large menacing pile of ingredients. She glanced up at Cristina, who had watched her the whole time. "Are you going to help me or what?"

"Uh..." Cristina was just as lost as Arizona. "Why don't we just go buy her some soup?"

"Because homemade is way better. My mom's recipe always made me feel better. It's magical."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Do you know how to cut things?"

"Like what things?"

"Carrots, onions, garlic, and celery." Arizona said placing the vegetables in front of Cristina. She handed her a knife and cutting board. "My mom said they just have to be all the same size or they won't cook evenly."

"I think I can boil the water for the noodles. That's about it."

Arizona picked up her notes and squinted at them. "Um, I don't think we boil the noodles in water."

"Then how do they get soft?" Cristina wasn't that cooking challenged. She at least knew noodles needed some sort of moisture to absorb.

"Chicken stock... what ever that means."

"No way am I touching a dead chicken carcass."

"This is ridiculous. We are adults. We can do this." Arizona pulled out the biggest pot she could find and stuck it on the stove. "Step one done!" She smiled proudly.

"Really?"

"We have to start somewhere. Now cut those." She poked the celery and carrots with a knife and took back the onion and garlic. "And I'll cut these." Both women took their time cutting the vegetables into uniform pieces. It took thirty minutes longer than it needed to, but they did it without cutting themselves. "Looks pretty good to me."

"Now what?"

"We cook them with these until they are soft." Arizona held up what looked like grass to Cristina. "Mom said don't burn them."

"What are those?"

"I'm hoping it's bay leaves and thyme."

"If you say so..." Cristina watched as Arizona dumped some oil and the vegetables they had just cut into the pot. The blonde vigorously stirred the ingredients around. "Are you sure that's what you're supposed to do."

"She said stir it, so I'm stirring it."

"No, you're killing it."

"Fine, you do it." Arizona handed her the wooden spoon.

Cristina grabbed it and poked at the food for a minute. "Nothing's happening."

Arizona peeked into the pot. All she saw was vegetables coated in olive oil. "It should be cooking by now... I think." She checked her notes again. Her mom said it would be ready in about seven minutes. "It's only been about three minutes, so let's give it time." Ten minutes later and it still looked the same.

"Roller girl, you idiot. You didn't turn the stove on. Did your mom leave out that step?"

Arizona checked the knobs. They were all in the off position. "Oh... Well, you didn't notice either!"

"I wasn't in charge of the pot, you were."

Arizona turned the stove on and stared into the pot. After a minute the oil started to pop. "Somethings happening!" She said excitedly. Cristina just rolled her eyes and walked away. "Cristina! I need your help!"

"No you don't! Embrace your inner chef, Blondie!"

Arizona stared fearfully down at the pot. "You can do this, Robbins. It can't be too much different than cooking sugar. You never burn that." She took a deep breath and stabbed one of the carrots with a fork. It felt soft to her. She continued to carefully follow her mom's directions. A half hour and a ginormous mess later she had a simmering pot of what looked and smelled like her mother's special chicken noodle soup. Arizona grabbed a spoon and scooped out a bite. It looked okay. Nothing seemed burned and the noodles looked cooked. She paused the spoon just outside her lips, a little nervous about how it would taste. She closed her eyes and put the bite in her mouth. Her eyes popped back open. "Holy crapsticles, I did it! Cristina, I did it!"

"Congratulations, you didn't burn the apartment down."

"Thanks!" Arizona ladled some soup into a bowl for Callie and brought it to her room. "Calliope!"

"What?" Callie groaned.

"You're awake?"

"I just woke up. Something smells delicious." Callie sat up and leaned against the headboard. She smiled when Tinkerbell jumped in her lap.

"Here." Arizona handed Callie the bowl. "It's soup. I figured you'd be hungry."

"I am." She looked down at the soup. It looked delicious. "Where did you get this?"

"I made it for you!" Arizona grinned proudly.

Callie looked at her in disbelief. "You made this?"

"Yup!"

"Like made it, made it? Or didn't you just microwave it?"

"I made it. Calliope, don't look so scared. It's good, I promise."

Callie looked down at the bowl. It seemed like such a large amount to have to choke down if it was horrible. She took the spoon and went to take a bite, only hesitating a second before sticking it in her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Babe, this is amazing!"

"I told you."

"You made this? Really?" Callie happily took another bite.

"It's my mom's recipe. No big deal." Arizona sat on the bed, more than pleased that Callie seemed to be feeling a lot better. The brunette definitely looked better. "How are you feeling?"

"Really good. I feel like I slept for a year."

"I'm glad."

Callie slurped the last of the broth straight from her bowl. "Can I have some more?"

"Of course!" Arizona kissed Callie on the lips and took her bowl. When she came back, she found Callie on the phone. She handed the brunette her bowl and a glass of water.

"Aria." Callie mouthed silently at her.

"Ah." Arizona said and sat back down.

"Okay, Aria. See you then... Love you too. Kiss Alexa for me." Callie saw Arizona wave her hands frantically and smiled. "Kiss her for Arizona too... Bye."

"How's Aria?"

"She's good. They're having a belated birthday dinner for my mom Friday night at Diego's."

"Do you think you can finish her present by then?"

"It's already finished."

"When did you finish it?"

"When you and Alex stayed late at the bakery to talk about the remodel."

"Ah. Should I bring a cake?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course it's okay."

"Maybe this time we'll all make it through dinner together."

"Is your dad going too?"

"Aria said he was."

"I'm excited to see Alexa. I miss her."

"I miss her too." Callie smiled. She loves how close her niece and girlfriend were, even after the prank Alexa and Cristina pulled on the blonde. "I bet you wish she was mine now."

Arizona laughed and shook her head. "We still haven't got Cristina back for that by the way."

"I know. We really need to think of something good." Callie finished off the rest of her second bowl of soup and smiled.

"I wish Tim was here. He was a master prankster. He would have thought of the best plan."

"I'm sure it's in your genes. I know there's a mean streak somewhere in that pretty blonde head of yours."

"I'll think about it." Arizona smiled. "Done with your soup?"

"Yeah, um..." Callie hesitated.

"What?"

"Would another bowl overdo it?"

"How's your stomach feeling?"

"It feels fine. Still hungry though."

"That's a good sign." Arizona stood uo and squeezed Callie's hand. "I'll get you some more."

"Thank you." Callie grinned. It was nice to be taken care of for a change. She picked up her pillow and put it behind her back. She settled in and waited for the blonde to come back. She was feeling great and looking forward to spending a quiet evening at home with her girlfriend.

* * *

Three days later Callie and Arizona were standing hand in hand outside the restaurant Lucia had chosen to meet at for her birthday dinner. "You look beautiful, Calliope." Arizona whispered in the brunette's ear.

"Thank you." Callie blushed. "So do you." The restaurant was a typical fancy one Callie's mother would of course choose, so it was another rare night of dressing up for the pair. Arizona had two large pink boxes in her free hand. One had a chocolate cake and the other had eclairs. Callie was carrying the large canvas she had painted. It was the first piece of art she has ever given her mother, besides the silly little things she drew in crayon as a kid. She hoped she liked it.

"Do you think we should go in and wait?"

"I guess we can. It is kind of cold." They walked inside and the hostess led them to a private room in the back of the restaurant. Callie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was already there waiting. "Holy shit."

"What?" Arizona followed Callie's line of sight and saw the stranger at the table. "Who is that?"

"My mom's oldest sister, Cecilia. She's the worst."

"The worst how?"

"You'll see." Callie took a deep breath and lead Arizona into the room. "Aunt CeCe! It's been so long. What are you doing here?" Callie said through a forced smile.

"Calliope? I was in town and Lucia invited me tonight. I had no idea you would be here. I haven't seen you since you were a teenager. You've grown up!"

"It happens." Callie shrugged and took a seat as far away from her aunt as possible. Arizona took the seat next to her and gave her boxes to the waiter to serve them after dinner. Callie took off the jacket she was wearing and put it in her lap, waiting for the waiter to come back and hang it up for her.

"Calliope! Put that back on right now. This isn't the place to show off that kind of trash." Cecilia scolded, horrified by her nieces choices.

Callie quickly put her jacket back on. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking." She knew Arizona was looking at her, but avoided her eye contact.

"Obviously! Didn't your mother teach you anything?" Cecilia looked at Arizona. "Calliope, who is your friend?"

"This is my girlfriend, Arizona Robbins. Arizona, Cecilia Vega." Callie introduced them. She had no idea if her mother has ever mentioned her being gay to her aunt and didn't care. She wasn't about to lie to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Vega." Arizona smiled at the older woman. She didn't look at all like Lucia or Callie. She looked more like a troll. Cecilia just ignored the blonde.

"What happens to that handsome boy you used to date?"

"I never dated a boy."

"What was his name?" Cecilia tapped her chin in thought. "Oh, it was that Mark boy! You two were so beautiful together and you know he's a Sloan. A Sloan means money."

Arizona choked on her water. The thought of Callie and Mark dating made her irrationally angry. Callie knew what the blonde was thinking and rested her hand on Arizona's thigh to calm her down. "No, Aunt CeCe, we never dated. He was just my best friend. He still is."

"You two would have made such cute babies. What happened?"

"Nothing happened, because there was nothing to happen to. Where the hell are Aria and my mother?" Callie growled.

"This your father's fault." Cecilia said after a long awkward silence.

"Excuse me?"

"We tried to talk your mother into not marrying into that family, but she insisted. Claimed to be in love. Now look what happened."

Callie narrowed her eyes at her aunt. "What happened, Aunt Cecilia?"

"His child turned out to be you. Serves her right."

"Okay, that's enough." Arizona snapped and turned to Callie. "You're right, she is the worst."

"You do not get to talk to me like that, young lady!" Cecilia yelled.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to my girlfriend."

"Lucia should have never allowed you to weasel your way into Calliope's life and brainwash her into living this lie."

"I did no such thing. Calliope is a smart woman who can make decisions for herself and our love is most definitely not a lie."

"Love?" Cecilia scoffed. "This filth is not love, it's disgusting. You may leave, you are not welcome here."

"Aunt CeCe, she is welcome here. She's with me and Mama invited her."

"You may both leave then. I don't want to be seen in the company of your kind in a place like this."

"CeCe! Care to explain to me exactly what 'kind' my Calliope and her Arizona are?" Lucia asked walking into the room. She had heard the whole exchange from outside the room and finally built up the courage to step in. She has never challenge her older sister before.

"Lucia, have you lost your mind? How can you let Calliope continue on like this? If you're not going to put a stop to it, then I will."

"Like what? Like she's actually happy and in love? Two things you know absolutely nothing about."

"How can you possibly believe that?"

"Because I've seen it with my own eyes. CeCe, you need to leave."

"Excuse me?" Cecilia was taken aback by the tone of voice her younger sister was using towards her.

"I will not have you insulting my husband, my daughter, and her girlfriend. I've already caused them enough hurt and won't let anyone cause more."

"Lucia, I-"

"I said leave, CeCe!" Lucia pointed her finger towards the door.

"Lucia, you're making a scene. People are staring."

"No, you are."

"You're being unreasonable."

"Bye, Cecilia." Lucia moved to sit down at the head of the table, next to Callie. Her conversation with her sister clearly over. "Calliope, take of that jacket. You look ridiculous wearing it at the table." Callie removed her jacket and handed it to the waiting host. She continued to stare dumbfounded at her mother. "Mija, stop it."

"I'm sorry." Callie shifted her gaze to her smiling girlfriend. They all seemed to come to a mutual understanding to ignore what just happened and enjoy their evening together.

"Mother why did I just see Aunt CeCe running out of here like the place was on fire?" Aria asked as she walked into the room. "She didn't even stop to say hi to Alexa and me."

"Aunties!" Alexa yelled running up to give Callie and Arizona hugs. "Auntie Zona, guess what!"

"Alexa, indoor voice." Aria scolded.

"Sorry, Mommy."

Arizona bent over and picked up the little girl, setting her in her lap. "Let's see... You're going to be the first kid astronaut and are going to outer space to research space monkeys on Mars?"

"No!" Alexa giggled.

"Hmm... you're going to be the next American Idol?"

"No! I'm not old enough."

"Right, of course. How about you're getting an elephant!"

"Noooo!"

"Okay, I give up. You're going to have to tell me."

"On Monday, I get to go to the second grade!"

"Congratulations, baby girl! I knew you were too smart for your own good."

"Auntie Callie, mommy says I'm a smarty pants just like you." Alexa said proudly. She'd do anything to be like her beloved aunt Callie.

"Yes, you are." Callie smiled.

"Lucia, why on earth did Cecilia just almost run me down in the parking lot?" Carlos asked coming into the room and kissing his wife on the cheek.

"I made her leave." Lucia shrugged and picked up her glass wine.

"May I ask why? Not that I am complaining, that woman is horrid."

"She was being rude to Calliope and Arizona and I won't let that happen anymore. I don't want to talk about it further. I want to enjoy my birthday dinner."

"Ah, well I'll make sure she isn't invited to anymore family events." Carlos turned to greet the other women in the room. "And how are all of my favorite ladies doing tonight?"

"We're good, Papa." Callie took Arizona's hand and smiled. She wasn't sure where her parents relationship stood, but they seemed to be getting along fine.

"Aria, where's Dana?"

"He got called into work. He said he'd try and make it later, but you know how these things go."

"It's just me and the women then. That is alright by me." Carlos grinned. He was happy to have his family all in the same room and not fighting. "Have we ordered yet?"

"No, we just got here." Lucia answered. She too was happy about her family being together. It was the best birthday gift she could ask for. Everyone took some time to read over the menu. Once they all decided, the waiter took their order and left to give it to the chef.

"Mama, do you want your present now or later?" Callie asked.

"Mija, you didn't have to get me anything. I'm just glad you agreed to come."

"Well, I did." Callie got up and handed her the painting, nervous about her reaction.

"Calliope, this is beautiful. Who did this?" Lucia's eyes travelled to the signature at the bottom. "You painted this?"

"Yes."

"I..." Lucia teared up. "I had no idea you were this gifted."

"You never gave me a chance to show you." Callie said quietly.

"I know. I don't know how I'll ever be able to make it up to you."

"I think you're off to an okay start."

"I am?"

"Yeah." Callie smiled down at her mother. Without even thinking she bent down and hugged her. Lucia responded with the strongest hug she could muster, never wanting to let to of her baby's girl ever again. Carlos and Arizona exchanged small smiles. "Mama, you're hurting me."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lucia released her daughter. "I just have a lot of hugs to catch up on."

"Auntie Callie, is that me?" Alexa asked when she saw the painting.

"It is!"

"I'm really pretty." Alexa said in awe, making the adults laugh.

"You are very pretty, Lex."

"Just like you and mommy!"

"No, you're the prettiest."

"Callie, you're going to inflate her ego as big as yours." Aria halfway joked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Callie grinned.

"Are you taking me trick or treating again this year?" Alexa asked Callie.

"If it's okay with your mom."

"Mommy, pleeeease?"

"Of course she can take you." Aria was relieved Callie was willing to take her daughter out on Halloween again. She hated that holiday, but it has always been Callie's favorite.

"Yay! Auntie Zona are you coming too?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Arizona loved trick or treating, but outgrew it many years ago. She never had anyone young enough in her life to go with recently. "What are we dressing up as?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Oh, okay. Let me know when you decide so we can coordinate. We don't want to clash."

"Okay! Auntie Callie never dresses up with me."

"Why not?" Arizona was disappointed. She wanted to see her girlfriend all dressed up.

"Because she's boring." Alexa said matter-of-factly.

"Hey! I am not." Callie reached over and tickled her niece, who was still perched on Arizona's lap.

"Whatever you two decided on, I'm sure you'll be very cute." Lucia said. "Make sure to come up to the house to show us."

"Okay." Arizona smiled at the older Torres. "We have to think of something really good. How about I come pick you up after work tomorrow and we can go shopping. Just the two of us?" Arizona looked at Aria to make sure it was okay.

"Yeah!" Alexa said excitedly.

"Arizona are you sure you want to do that?" Aria asked. Her daughter could be a little crazy when shopping.

"Of course, I'd love to. No one else will go costume shopping with me." Arizona playfully glared at Callie, who just smiled in response. Arizona was right, she really didn't want to go shopping for ridiculous costumes.

"Okay... what time?"

"Around four. I'll even feed the munchkin after."

"Hey, I'm not a munchkin! I've seen the Wizard of Oz. I'm way cuter."

"My bad." Arizona laughed. Aria was right, Alexa was getting as big an ego as Callie. She didn't see it as a bad thing though. When she saw the waiter bringing their salads, Arizona put Alexa in the chair next to hers. The rest of their meal was spent listening to Alexa talk about school and her best friends. Arizona and Callie were able to talk about their house and remodel for a little bit, until Alexa decided she wasn't done talking.

"Are you ready for dessert?" The waiter asked after the table was clear.

"No, thank you. I couldn't possibly eat anymore." Lucia said.

"Mama, Arizona brought it."

"Oh! In that case, yes please! And a cup of decaf." Lucia turned to Arizona when the waiter left. "What do we have the pleasure of eating tonight?"

"It's a surprise." Arizona laughed at the way the older Torres raised her eyebrow at her. Callie did the same exact thing when she got an answer she didn't like. Luckily the waiter was quick to bring back the already plated desserts. Each person had a slice of cake and an eclair on their plate.

"Eclairs!" Lucia practically squealed, making the rest of the table stare at her wide eyed. Lucia Torres does not squeal. She took a huge bite out of hers and moaned. She reached over and grabbed the one off her husband's plate and bit into that one too.

"Lucia!" Carlos chuckled at his wife. He had missed this side of her. "That one was mine."

"What's yours is mine. We took vows." Lucia grinned as she sucked the cream out of his eclair. "Arizona, you outdid yourself. Calliope, never let this one go." Lucia winked at her youngest daughter.

Callie beamed at her mother, then turned to take Arizona's hand into her lap.

_Never_.


	32. Chapter 29: Love you more

**I'm totally in a fluffy mood. Sorry? Is that something to be sorry about? Nope.**

* * *

"Auntie Zona!" Alexa yelled as she pulled open the door to her house.

"What on earth are you wearing?" Arizona laughed at the little girl's appearance.

"It's my shopping outfit!" Alexa twirled around, showing off her hot pink tutu, bright orange leggings, matching pink chucks on her feet, and yellow tank top that said _If you think I'm cute, you should see my aunt_. She had accessorized with a chunky pink bracelet, pink polka dot sunglasses, and a small tiara. Alexa's outfit was so bright, Arizona was sure she wouldn't lose her at the store.

"Oh, well now I'm sad I forget my tutu at home." Arizona pretended to pout.

"I have a purple one you can wear."

"I'm afraid it won't fit me, Lex."

"Oh yeah... I hate being small."

"Did Callie give you that shirt?"

"How'd you know?!" Alexa asked wide eyed. She was amazed that Arizona knew that.

"Lucky guess. You ready to go? Where's your mom?"

"Mommy! We're bouncing. Catch ya on the flip side!" Alexa picked up her zebra print purse and strolled out the door.

Arizona laughed at her choice of words, "Lex, I can't just take you without seeing your mommy first. She'll get sacred that you were kidnapped."

"Mommy! I'm not being kidnapped!"

"Alexa, why are you yelling?" Aria asked coming down the stairs. "Oh, hey Arizona!"

"Hi Aria. We're going to head out now if you're sure you're okay with this." Callie had told Arizona that Aria never let anyone watch Alexa unless it was Callie or her parents, so this outing was a pretty big deal. It meant that Aria trusted Arizona fully.

"Of course. I'm sure you'll be fine." Aria squatted down to hug her daughter. "I see you changed into your shopping outfit."

"Duh, Mommy. We are going shopping." Alexa huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course, silly me." Aria kissed her cheek. "You be good for Arizona, promise?"

"I promise, Mommy." Alexa kissed her mom back. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mija. Have fun." Aria straighten back up and smiled at Arizona.

"Bye Aria, we'll be back by seven."

"Okay, bye girls." Aria shut the door behind them and ran upstairs to her husband. There were going to make the best of three uninterrupted child free hours.

Arizona opened the car door so Alexa could climb into the back seat of the Thunderbird. She sort of commandeered it and Callie hasn't said anything about it yet. "Isn't this Aunt Callie's car?"

"Yup, she let me borrow it."

"Don't you have your own car?"

"I do, but this one is prettier."'

"Oh..."

Arizona smiled at the little girl in the mirror. "Did you decide what you wanted to dress up as yet?"

"No, I want to see everything first."

"That's a good idea. We have to keep our options open." Arizona pulled into one of the downtown parking lots and easily found a spot. When they got out of the car, Alexa slipped her small hand into Arizona's, making the blonde smile. The little girl skipped along the sidewalk, making sure to avoid stepping on any cracks.

"Aunt Zona, where are we going?"

"To Monty's. We're almost there." Ten months out of the year Monty's was a cute little bookstore, but for the months of September and October Monty transformed his store into a Halloween superstore. He had almost every costume that one could possibly imagine and if he didn't have it, he'd find it for you within a day. He also had decorations and party supplies. Arizona thought she'd get some stuff for the house, but knew she should wait for Callie. When they got to the tastefully decorated store, Arizona pulled the door open and let Alexa run in ahead of her.

"Well hello there little ladies!" Monty greeted them. He was about the same age as Arizona's dad with curly white hair that stuck up in every direction. He always wore a jovial smile and his light grey eyes seemed to be sparkling with mischief at all times. Today he was dressed as a cowboy complete with giant hat and a horse head on a stick her was carrying around. "How's the bakery business?"

"It's going well. Lots of pies and pumpkin pastries being ordered for fall, so we're keeping busy."

"Well, It's been awhile since I've had my sweet fix. I'll be sure to come by soon."

Arizona laughed. Monty stopped by at least every other day. "Okay, I'll look forward to it."

"Miss Alexa, how are you?" Monty pulled a piece of candy out of her ear and handed it to the little girl.

"Hey! How did you do that?" Alexa giggled and put the chocolate in her mouth.

"I never reveal my secrets." Monty grinned. "What's Callie up to?"

"She's working. It's only me and Lex today. We want to find the perfect costumes to surprise her."

"Well feel free to look around and let me know if you need any help."

"Thanks, Monty." Arizona turned to Alexa. "Okay, have at it." She said while pushing the little girl towards the costumes on display. Since there was still three weeks until Halloween, there was still a lot to choose from. Alexa looked around wide eyed and froze. "What's wrong baby girl?"

"I've never got to pick out my own costume before. Mommy usually orders one online."

"Really? Well from now on I'll take you to pick your own every year." Arizona smiled and gently nudged the little girl forward. Alexa walked down the aisle of costumes making sure to touch every single one. "Anything catch your eye?"

"I like this one." Alexa held up a banana costume.

"Really?" _What is with this kid and bananas?_

"Yeah! You can be a monkey!" Alexa said excitedly. She was sure she just thought of the greatest idea of her life. She didn't understand why the blonde didn't look as excited as she felt.

Arizona could only stare at the little girl. She did not want to be a monkey, but she could not say no to that face. "Let's see if they have a monkey costume." They walked over to the adult section and easily found a one piece brown unitard monkey costume.

"They have one! Let's get them."

"We have to try them on first." Arizona's only hope was that Alexa hated the banana. It didn't look very comfortable.

"Okay." They went into the same dressing room and started to change. "Auntie Zona! You've got butterflies!"

"I do. Do you like them?"

"They're really pretty." Alexa said in awe as she reached out and touched them. "I want some!"

"You got twelve more years to go. If you still want them then, I bet your Auntie Callie would be happy to give you some."

"No, eleven years." Alexa pouted. She hated being young.

"I though you were six?"

"I'm going to be seven in thirteen days."

"Counting down are you?"

"Of course." Alexa shrugged. She pulled off her tutu and struggle to pull the banana costume over her head. "Aunt Zona, help."

Arizona finished putting her ugly costume on and helped Alexa into hers. "Well, Lex. What do you think?"

Alexa looked them over in the reflection of the mirror. "We look ridiculous."

"I'm so glad you agree." Arizona pulled the monkey ear headband off her head and threw it on the ground. "Want to go find something else?"

"Yes, please." Alexa wiggled out of the banana and put it back on the hanger. They spent over an hour trying on different costumes. Arizona's stomach was growling and Alexa was starting to get cranky. The blonde started to thumb threw the costumes again and stopped on something she thought would be perfect.

"Hey, Lex. How about this?" She held up the costume. Alexa came over to her, crossed her arms, and rested her chin in her left hand. She mulled over the possibilities for a minute.

"I like the way you think, Blondie." Alexa said in a perfect imitation of Mark.

"Call me Blondie again and no more cookies for you. Got it?"

"Sorry Auntie Zona." Alexa dropped her gaze. Arizona never got mad at her.

"You want to try these on now?" Arizona smiled, trying to show she wasn't really mad. Alexa nodded in agreement. When they put their costumes on they stood side by side and looked at their reflections. "I think we found it."

"Me too!"

"Okay let's get out of here." They changed and brought their items to Monty.

"You two finally made a decision?"

"We did. Halloween only comes once a year. A decision like this can't be made lightly. Right, Lex?"

"Right!" Alexa was so excited about their costumes that she had completely forgotten that she was cranky. When Arizona was finished paying for their purchases, they stepped back out onto the sidewalk. The sun was starting to set and the crispness in the fall air sent a chill down Arizona's spine. She tightened the scarf around her neck and reached down to take Alexa's hand.

"What do you say to going to see if Aunt Callie wants to have dinner with us?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, let's go." Callie's shop was only six doors down from Monty's, so they went to the car to hide their costumes, then made their way to Evangeline's.

* * *

"Hey Joe!" Callie looked up from the tattoo she just started to greet her favorite bartender.

"Hey, Callie. George around?"

"I sent him across the street to get some coffee. He should be back at any minute." She turned her attention back to the portrait of her clients son.

"Okay, I'll just wait." He sat down in George's chair and turned it to face Callie. "I haven't seen you at the bar lately."

"Yeah, I haven't needed to go in awhile." She glanced up and smiled at the understanding on Joe's face. Ever since Arizona has dropped into her life she hasn't felt sorry for herself and didn't need to drink her sadness away every night.

"Well, you can still drop by every once in awhile."

"We will soon, I promise." A night out with friends sounded perfect to her right now.

"You own the bar next door?" Callie's client asked.

"I do."

"Man, that's my favorite bar. It's so chill and you're not stingy on the drinks like that lame ass joint across the street."

"Thanks. I'm always happy to hear positive feedback." Joe smiled when he saw George coming thought the door. "Hey hon."

"Hey." George gave him a kiss on the cheek and went to set Callie's coffee down at her station.

"Dude, you're a gay?" The client said in disgust. Callie froze and looked up at her confused apprentice.

"Um... yeah, so?" George said as he stepped away from the man on Callie's table. The look of pure hate in his eyes was unnerving. He knew very well that hate was a dangerous thing.

"So?" He looked at Joe. "I can't believe I gave you my money."

"You just said you loved it there." Callie couldn't believe this guy. She knew this town in was full of bigoted homophobic assholes like him, but they never came into her shop and rarely come to this side of town. "What's the difference?"

"The difference is that I don't support fucked up shit like that."

"Oh really?" Callie was so mad she was shaking. "I'm gay too. Did you know that?"

"That's hot. They're just disgusting."

"You know you really shouldn't piss off the person who is currently making a permanent change to your body." Callie was having a really hard time controlling herself. She put down her gun before she did anything that could get her sued. "We're done here. Get out."

"Hey, you have to finish! You can't leave it like this." He looked at the random outlines on his arm. It didn't look like anything yet.

"I don't have to do shit. Good luck finding someone else who can finish that as well as I can."

"But-"

"Get out now or I'm calling the police and reporting you for harassment." Callie wished Mark was here to kick him out. This guy was huge and probably weighed three times as much as her.

"Fine." He got up and stormed towards the door. "I'm going to make you regret this you fucking dyke." He yelled before leaving. Callie flinched at his harsh words and tried to shake it off. She has had a lot of run ins like this one, but it felt way more personal in her own shop. Her blood was boiling as she cleaned up her area. When she heard knocking on the glass she looked up to see her two most favorite people in the world waving at her. Callie had no idea how Arizona knew when she needed her most, but here she was coming to her rescue once again. Alexa was wearing her shopping outfit, so Callie knew she meant serious business. She smiled and waved for them to come in.

"Auntie Callie! We found costumes!" Alexa threw herself in Callie's arms. "I can't tell you what though." She leaned in to whisper in her aunts ear. "It's a secret."

"Hey babe." Arizona greeted her girlfriend with a quick kiss on the lips. "Do you have time for dinner with your adorable niece and your hot girlfriend?"

"Actually, I just had a cancellation, so I have a couple of hours free." Callie's day just got immensely better. "Where are we eating? Or we can go upstairs and I can cook?"

"No, let's go out. You don't need to cook and then have to come back to work."

"Okay, Lex where so you want to go?

"Hmm... Noodles!"

"Noodles it is." Callie put Alexa down. "You're getting so big. Stop it!"

"I'm almost seven!" Alexa held up seven fingers.

"I know, don't remind me. You make me feel old." Callie squatted down and told the little girl to jump on her back. She stood back up and took Arizona's hand. Together they walked the block to the restaurant. Arizona and Alexa made Callie laugh the whole way with their stories of failed costumes. "Do you two really think you're going to be able to keep your costumes a secret for three weeks? I think you're the worst secret keepers I know." Callie asked as they settled into a booth at Noodles. She sat next to her girlfriend while Alexa sat across from them.

"Not uh, Aunt Callie."

"Lex, do I need to remind you about when I took you shopping for your mom's birthday present? You swore you wouldn't tell her what we got her. We won't even home for a minute before you blurred it out."

"It was a accident!"

"Do you have verbal diarrhea like your auntie?" Arizona joked.

"Babe, you shouldn't be talking. Miss. Spoiler Alert. You blurt out the ending to every show, movie, or book before it is barely started."

"I can't help it!" Arizona laughed. "Okay, I get it. We're going to keep this secret though. We'll prove to you we know how."

"Uh huh, sure." Callie grinned at Alexa. "So, Lex. What are we doing for your birthday this year?"

"Mommy said I can have a party at our house."

"What kind of party?"

"I haven't decided yet." Alexa shrugged. She didn't seen to care, which was very unlike the little girl. She loved having all the attention and presents.

"It's only two weeks away, maybe you should."

"Yeah..." Alexa said quietly, staring off into the distance.

"Baby girl, what's wrong?" Arizona asked. Alexa's sudden mood change worried her.

"Well Bobby's birthday was at the zoo, Danielle's was at the movies, and Adam's was at the arcade!"

"Okay...? And?"

"Our house is so boring!" Alexa said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." Arizona looked at Callie and rolled her eyes. Of course Alexa was worried about having the best party. "Where do you want to have it?"

"I don't know." Alexa sighed and picked up her menu. She pointed to a picture of baked macaroni and cheese. "I want this."

"What if I knew of the most awesome place ever to have a birthday party?" Arizona asked. Callie looked at her with furrowed brows until she smiled realizing where the blonde was thinking of.

"Really?" Alexa perked up and sat up straighter. "Where?"

"How about at the bakery?" Arizona watched the little girls expressive face go from hopefulness to confusion.

"What would we do there?"

"You and your friends can see how we make the cakes, then I'll give you your own cookies and cupcakes to decorate." She smiled when Alexa's eyes lit up.

"Like with frosting?"

"All the frosting you can ever dream of."

"Okay!" Alexa jumped up and ran around the table to give Arizona a hug. "Thank you, Auntie Zona! I'm going to have the best birthday party ever!"

"You're very welcome." Arizona was glad she was able to do something for her. "We just need to ask your mom first."

"She'll say yes." Alexa said.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I just know." The little girl picked up her crayons and started coloring on the paper tablecloth this restaurant had. The conversation about her mom was clearly over.

"I hope you know what you're getting into." Callie whispered in the blonde's ear.

"She's six. How hard can it be?"

"She's a bit... I guess you could say controlling. A mini partyzilla. I dread the day we have to plan her wedding."

"I'll be fine." Arizona grinned slyly. "As long as you help me."

"How did I get roped into this?"

"Because you want your niece to have the best birthday party ever."

"Hmm.." Callie narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "We'll see."

* * *

"Calliope!" Arizona yelled into the house. She just got home from Aria's where she had spent the last four hours finishing planning every tiny detail of Alexa's Superhero Princess themed party. Right down to the exact color of pink frosting she had to have. It couldn't just be pink, it had to be rose petal pink. All the balloons had to match the frosting exactly and under absolutely no circumstances could there be any orange at her party. Apparently superhero princesses do not like orange, even though she was wearing orange leggings the last time the blonde saw her. Arizona had managed to draw the line at a petting zoo, explaining that it was illegal and unsanitary to have farm animals inside a place where food was prepared. "Your niece is a monster!"

"Yeah, but she's cute." Callie smiled as she descended the stairs in only her underwear and a long t-shirt. She got her stitches taken out the day before and was already feeling much better, besides the dull ache in her leg if she accidentally ran into something. "I tried to warn you, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. The party is in two days and Aria said twenty kids parents have RSVPd yes. Twenty!"

"It's going to be fine. April and Lexie can entertain them just fine. You have games right?"

"Games? I need games?!" Arizona really had no idea how to throw a children's party. All you had to do for adults was buy them alcohol and they can entertain themselves all night long.

"Give me your phone." Callie held out her hand for the blondes phone. When she got it she typed a message and handed it back. "There now April is in charge of games. You need to delegate."

"Thank you." Arizona breathed a sigh relieve.

"What else do you need to do?"

"I need to pick up the party favors, balloons, and decorations."

"Lexie can do that."

"And she wants a princess castle cake."

"Meredith."

"And then we're going to need a few dozen cupcakes and cookies for them to decorate."

"Karev. What else?"

"I guess that's it."

"See! Party planning is easy." Callie took a step closer to her girlfriend and gripped her waist to pull her closer. "Now that I finished your planning, can you and me have a little party of our own? I've missed you."

"I was only gone for a few hours." Arizona grinned, "We spend more time apart when we're at work."

"Yeah but I was alone in this big house all by myself." Callie pouted.

"Sonny and Tink are here." Arizona kissed Callie's protruding bottom lip.

"Yeah, but they're not very good company."

"Are you saying you prefer me over your beloved Tinkerbell?" Arizona's hands found there way under Callie's shirt and she ran her nails across the brunette's smooth bare back.

"Mariposa, you know I prefer you over anyone and anything." Callie melted into the blonde's body. The way she was lightly scratching down her back felt delicious. "Just don't tell Tinks that." She whispered, making Arizona laugh. Callie shifted her head and took the blonde's lips with her own, instantly turning the sweet laugh into a sexy moan. The brunette nipped on Arizona's bottom lip, making the blonde gasp at the welcomed pain. Callie took the opportunity to push her tongue into her girlfriends waiting mouth. Arizona could still taste the traces of coffee on the brunette's tongue. When Callie's hands moved to squeeze the blondes firm butt, the kissed turned needy. Each woman's passion and want for each other suddenly taking over. Their bodies pushed against each other hard as their tongues dueled for dominance.

"You drive me crazy, Calliope." Arizona whispered against her girlfriend's lips. Callie's only response was a passionate kiss filled with so much urgency that Arizona was starting to lose track of which way was up and which way was down. She clutched onto the back of the brunette's shirt, trying desperately to keep her center of balance. It was like Callie was determined to show Arizona how much she needed her just to survive. The blonde loved the way her girlfriend made her feel so wanted and loved all the time. It was unlike anything Arizona has ever experienced and knowing she'd get to feel like this for the rest of her life made her heart soar to new heights. Even though she was starting to get dizzy from the way Callie was kissing her, Arizona was still disappointed when the brunette pulled away.

"Bedroom? Couch? Right here? Something new?" Callie asked her with a smirk. Arizona was looking at her like she wasn't speaking English. Wait? She was speaking English, right? Sometimes in the heat of the moment she lost track. "Babe? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just..." Arizona shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. She was feeling very overwhelmed with her love for this woman in front of her all of a sudden. "I just really love you."

"I really love you too." Callie beamed. She had no idea what was going on in Arizona's head, but the way her blue eyes were shining assured her that it was nothing but good things. The blonde blinked and her eyes changed from pure love to dark lust. Before Callie could get a chance register the change in the her girlfriends eyes, Arizona had her pushed back against the hallway wall. Her hands swiftly removed Callie's shirt and dropped it on the floor. Arizona's mouth was suddenly placing hot wet kisses and small bites all across Callie's neck and chest. It was like she was finally able to unleash a torrent of desire she had been holding in the last couple of weeks. Callie tangled both her hands into the blonde's loose curls and pushed her head into her chest, trying to urge her on. The way Arizona was devouring her felt amazing, but the brunette needed more and she needed it right now. "Ari- ah!" Callie yelped when she felt a bite to her nipple. She pulled the hair in her hands tighter as Arizona sucked and nipped at her breasts. When her nipples were screaming from too much attention, Callie yanked the blonde's head up and pulled her in for a deep kiss. She could feel Arizona's hands grazing up and down her sensitive sides. Her girlfriend was pushing her body up against the wall so hard, it was starting to get painful. Callie released her lips and grinned wickedly at Arizona. Blue eyes looked at her questionably. The brunette put her hand on top of Arizona's head and roughly pushed it down. Arizona smiled and took the hint, settling on her knees. Judging by the strong scent of Callie's arousal and her completely soaked panties, the brunette wouldn't take very long. She pushed the panties aside and slid her tongue through the wet folds of her girlfriend's hot and ready center. She moaned at the brunettes taste, causing Callie to thrust forward slightly. Arizona stood back up and came face to face with her heavily breathing girlfriend. "Why'd you stop?" Arizona shrugged and leaned forward to shove her tongue into the brunette's mouth. Callie moaned at the taste of Arizona's tongue and sucked it deeper into her mouth. She pouted when the blonde pulled away. They locked eyes for what felt like an eternity to Callie. She knew if she tried to say or do anything, Arizona would purposefully drag this out further.

"I vote for couch. It's closer than the bedroom." Arizona finally said. When Callie nodded at her, she took her hand and led her to the living room. She shoved her down onto the couch in a seated position and pulled off her underwear. She dropped to her knees and spread Callie's legs wide open. Arizona smiled at the site before her. Not able to wait anymore, she reached out her fingers and gently stroked her girlfriends wetness, making the brunette squirm and whimper. Arizona decided it was the cutest thing ever and continued her slow movements.

"Arizona!"

"What?" Arizona smiled innocently.

"Stop it!" Callie moaned deeply when she felt a slender finger suddenly enter her, then pull out. She moaned again when two fingers entered her.

"Better?"

"Much." Callie braced her leg against the coffee table behind Arizona. "I need more."

"As you wish." Arizona thrust in and out of the brunette faster and deeper. She leaned forward and took an erect nipple between her lips. She felt Callie's hands in her hair again, pushing her lower. Arizona grinned and moved to replace the nipple with her girlfriends clit. Callie put her other foot on the coffee table and used the leverage to thrust her hips in the air and lift her ass off the couch, while pushing Arizona's head harder against her. The way Callie was holding her head down was making it damn near impossible for the blonde to breath. She didn't see this as a problem, she saw this as a challenge to see if she could make her girlfriend come for her before she suffocated in her vagina. Arizona could think of much worse ways to die. As Callie's thrusts and moans grew more frantic, Arizona new she'd be okay, because her girlfriend was about to come hard. The blonde flicked her tongue one last time, throwing Callie over the edge. She managed to catch a breath when Callie release her hair, but didn't move her mouth or fingers as the brunette road out her orgasm. When her girlfriend's legs dropped from the table, Arizona sat up and looked at Callie's blissed out expression. She stood up and straddle her on the couch, wrapping her arms around her middle and resting her head on her shoulder. She smiled as she listened to Callie's breathing and heart beats struggle to return to normal.

"Holy shit, you throw a good party. Alexa has nothing to worry about." Callie said into Arizona's hair. She wanted to hug her too, but her arms still felt like jelly.

"That's wrong on so many levels." Arizona chuckled.

"Yeah, that really didn't come out how I meant it, so let's pretend I didn't say it."

"Deal."

"Mariposa?" Callie was feeling really tired all of a sudden.

"Hmmm?" Arizona felt like she could stay wrapped around her love like this forever.

"Let's go to bed." Callie smiled when she felt Arizona nod against her neck.

* * *

Arizona, Callie, Aria, Mark, and Alex were standing behind the display case at Awesome Bakery watching April and Lexie herd a bunch of children in a circle. The friends felt much safer standing behind the case. They had no idea what kind of game April had them playing, but judging by the loud squeals of laughter from the kids it was a fun. Arizona had already given the group a tour of the back, something they all found fascinating to her relief. They haven't done the decoration stations yet, opting to leave that for last. That way they could just send the kids home after stuffing them full of sugar. Callie and Arizona smiled at each other as they watched Alexa having the time of her life. The little girl had talked Arizona into letting her get a new birthday tiara and she wore it proudly along with a new red tutu and her old superman cape.

"This was a great idea, Arizona. Thank you." Aria said.

"It was no problem. I'm just glad she seems like she's having fun."

"Are you kidding?" Callie took Arizona's hand and squeezed it. "She's having a blast. Look at her face." Alexa's smile was so large, Callie was sure her face would hurt tonight.

"Yeah, I guess your right." They watched as one of Alexa's friends seem to have won the game. He picked out the set of temporary tattoos Callie brought as a prize.

"Smart kid." Callie said. "We should do presents soon."

"Looks like they're about to start another game."

"Hey Lex! Do you want to play another game or open presents?" Callie yelled over the screaming children.

"Presents!"

"Oh thank god." Lexie sighed in relief. These kids were starting to wear her down. "Okay, everybody! Let's move over to the presents. Alexa, you get to sit in the princess chair."

"Alex can you set up the decorating tables while we do presents?" Arizona asked.

"Sure, Boss." Alex left to go to the back and gather the supplies.

"Mark, help him." Callie ordered. Arizona glared at her. "Mark help him please."

"But, I don't know anything about frosting and sprinkles." Mark protested. He wasn't here to help he was only here to see Alexa.

"Karev will help you figure it out." Callie smiled and patted his arm. "Embrace you're inner decorator, Momo. Nice cape by the way." Mark scowled at her and followed Alex to the back. At least he'd get a break from all the screaming.

"Are you guys coming?" Alexa asked Aria, Callie, and Arizona.

"Sorry, baby girl. I was just making sure your frosting was ready for later." Arizona said as the three woman sat down in the chairs behind Alexa.

"Danielle, you can be my helper. Bring me that big bag." Alexa ordered her friend.

"Alexa! If you want presents you have to be nice to your friends."

"I was being nice, Mother." Alexa rolled her eyes. "Danielle, pleeeease bring me my presents." Alexa grinned as her blonde haired best friend of the day moved her presents closer. "Thank you!"

"She gets that from you, you know." Callie told her sister. "You were always the brat."

"Go to hell, Calliope." Aria whispered so the kids wouldn't hear her.

"Is that how you talk to your baby sister?" Callie said feigning hurt. "I love you too."

"Shut up baby sister."

"You shut up."

"Calliope, don't fight with your sister." Arizona smiled. The way the adult sisters bantered warmed her heart for some reason.

"Yeah, Calliope. Listen to your girlfriend." Aria grinned.

Callie rolled her eyes at them. "Whatever." They turned their attention back to the birthday girl who was opening a Gameboy game.

"Littlest Pet Shop! Thank you, Danielle!" Alexa threw it down and reached for the next present. She ripped the card off and handed it to Callie to read. Alexa couldn't be bothered by cards. They just slowed her down. The little girl pulled out a brand new hot pink tutu covered in sparkles and a white tutu. "Oooo! Pretty! Who are these from, Auntie Callie?"

"Uncle Mark and Lexie." Callie said, reading the card. She knew it was really from Lexie. Mark was the worst at picking out presents.

Alexa put them back in the gift bag and jumped up to hug Lexie. "Thank you Auntie Lexie. I love them!"

"You're welcome, Lex." Lexie beamed at the fact she just got upgraded to Auntie status.

Alexa sat back down in her chair and reached for her last present. It was the biggest box and was wrapped in wrapping paper covered in bananas. She purposely saved it for last, because obviously bigger is better. "Who is this from?"

"Arizona and me." Callie smiled at Aria. She still couldn't believe her sister actually agreed to this present. Aria just shook her head.

"Yay!" Alexa's eyes lit up. Her aunt Callie always gave her the best presents and her aunt Arizona always had something fun up her sleeve. "Aunt Callie and Aunt Arizona are in love." She randomly told the entire room.

Callie's eyes grew wide and she looked at Aria. This was hardly the time or place to teach a bunch of first and second graders about lesbians. She was surprised to see Aria laughing at her. "What?"

"It's okay. She talks about you two all the time in class. Her teachers say the kids have never question it."

Callie looked back at the group of kids. Sure enough, they didn't even flinch. "She talks about us?"

"Are you kidding? She worships you and she thinks Arizona is here just to be her best friend. She really loves you guys." Aria grinned at the way her sister and Arizona were smiling goofily back at her. Aria was glad that her daughter had these two strong women to look up to.

"Auntie Callie, what is this stuff?" Alexa was confused by all the foreign stuff that filled the giant box.

Callie squatted next to the box and pointed to each thing to explain them. "Well, this is a litter box. Cats need then to go potty and this is the litter that they potty in. These are toys, because they get bored without them, just like you. This is a scratching post, so they don't scratch up your parents furniture. These are books on how to take care of a kitty and this is food, so it doesn't starve to death. Oh and a bed to sleep in."

"But, I don't have a cat." Alexa frowned. This wasn't a very good present.

"You will after we go and pick one out at the shelter." Callie laughed when her nieces frown turned into a look of shock.

"You got me a kitty?" Alexa asked in disbelief. Callie smiled and nodded at her. "Mommy, I'm getting a kitty!" Alexa jumped up and threw her arms around Callie's neck with so much force, she knocked the older brunette back on her butt. "Thank you, Auntie Callie! This is the best present ever! Can we go right now?"

"We can't just ditch your party. You still have cake to eat and cookies to decorate. You don't want to miss that do you?" Callie sat up and hugged her niece in her arms. "Don't forget to thank Arizona too." She whispered in her ear. Alexa crawled out of Callie's lap and into Arizona's.

"Thank you!" She hugged the blonde tightly.

"You're welcome, baby girl." Arizona kissed Alexa's head. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah. I love you too." Alexa jumped of her lap. "Can we have cake now?" She was eager to get out of there.

"Of course. Let me go get Mer." Arizona went to the back where she found Meredith finishing the last minute details on the cake. "Wow, Mer! You've out done yourself on this one."

"I knew it had to be special to meet Alexa's standards." Meredith laughed.

"That's so true. Is it ready to go?"

"It is. Can you help me carry it? It's kind of heavy."

"Yeah, sure." Arizona grabbed one side of the heavy duty cake board and Meredith held the other. The castle was massive. It looked a lot like the one she built for the sand castle contest. Arizona's favorite part was the bat signal displayed across the side of it. "Meredith, really, this is amazing."

"Thanks." Meredith grinned her cat like grin that always made Arizona wonder what was really going on in her head.

"Alexa! Are you ready?" Arizona yelled just before turning the corner to reveal the cake.

"Yes!" Alexa squealed when she saw her cake. "It's so awesome!"

"That's a cake?" Aria asked in awe.

"Amazing, right?" Callie has seen so many impressive things come out of this bakery over the many months they've been open. She is still amazed by what can be done out of some cake, frosting, and sugar. "Mer, this is great." She smiled at her ex-employee. Giving her up was clearly the best decision.

"Thanks, Cal." Meredith was getting uncomfortable under all the praise. She wasn't used to it and probably never will be.

After a round of the birthday song, Arizona cut into the cake and dished it out to the kids. Under Alexa's pressure, everyone managed to finish off their piece of cake in under five minutes. April herded everyone over to the decorating tables and showed everyone how to use the little piping bags they each got. Her and Lexie spent the next forty five minutes guiding everyone through decorating one cookie and one cupcake each. Halfway through Arizona stepped in to show them how to make buttercream roses. It was a bit too complicated for the kids to do, so she just quickly pumped out a few for each kid who wanted one. They decided to package the children's treats to take them home, since they just ate cake. Sending them home in a sugar coma probably wasn't the beat idea. Soon after parents started showing up to pick up their kids. They were bombarded by stories about how much fun they all had. Once everyone was gone, the bakery had a eerie silence about it. The adults collapsed onto the couch and breathed a collective sigh of relief. They didn't kill any kids and Alexa seemed to have a great time. The party was a success.

"Where's Yang?" Alex asked. The absence of the sour puss artist was just noticed.

"She doesn't do children's birthday parties. Not even for Alexa." Callie said.

"It was best that we didn't corrupt all those kids too." Mark chuckled. He wished she did come. It would have been interesting for sure.

"She has a present to give you later by the way." Callie reached our and tickled her niece who was almost passed out in Aria's lap. "Did you have a good time, Lex?"

"It was the best birthday I ever had." Alexa smiled lazily and her eyelids started to droop. She snuggled deeper into her mother's embrace. Aria held her closer, placing small kisses across her head. The love mother and daughter were displaying was heart warming. Callie and Arizona exchanged longing glances. Both thinking they couldn't wait to have that kind of special bond of their own.

"Are you too tired to go pick out a kitten?" Callie asked. She laughed when Alexa bolted upright and forced her eyes back open.

"No!" Alexa turned to face her mom. "Mommy, can we still go. Pleeeease?"

"Of course, Mija."

"Yay!" Alexa jumped off of her lap and grabbed one of Callie's hands and one of Arizona's. She tried to pull them forward, but they were stronger. "Come on, please!"

"Alex, do you mind?" Arizona asked pointing to the hurricane sized mess twenty small children left in her bakery.

"I'll take care of it, Boss. Have fun."

"We'll help him." Lexie said nudging Mark with her elbow.

"Uh... yeah, Blondie. Don't worry about it."

After a round of hugs from Alexa and goodbyes, Callie, Arizona, Aria, and Alexa were in Aria's BMW on the way to the shelter. Arizona sat in back with Alexa and they spent the drive making funny faces at the back of Aria and Callie's heads. The sisters pretended not to know. They didn't want to stop the adorable muffled giggles coming from the back seat. The two Latinas exchanged amused sideways glances when Alexa accidentally snorted loudly at a particularly funny face the blonde made at Callie, sending both her and Arizona into another fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"Okay, giggle twins, we're here." Aria said when she pulled into the parking lot. They climbed out of the car and went inside the front entrance of the shelter.

"Hey Addy!" Callie greeted her friend. "Thanks for staying late for us."

"Of course. Anything for this one." Addison bent down to hug the little girl. "Happy birthday, Lex!"

"Thank you!"

"Well, you know where to go. Have fun!" The adults laughed when Alexa took off for the kittens. Callie has brought her here many times before, so she knew exactly where to go.

"Are you sure about this, Aria?" Callie asked her sister.

"Oh, like I can say no now. I'm not going to break her heart."

"Okay, good. We should probably get back there before she release all the kittens into the shelter."

When they got to the kitten room, Alexa was nowhere to be found. "Lex?!" Callie yelled out into the hall.

"In here!" They heard a small voice coming from the isolation room where two FIV cats had been moved while they cleared out a space for them to live out their lives.

"Alexa, what are you doing in here? These kitties are sick."

"Why are they all alone? They look sad. Doesn't anyone want them?"

"They have a disease that means they have to be separated from all the other kitties. They just haven't found their forever home yet."

"Are they dying?" Alexa asked sadly.

"No, they just get sick a lot easier than the other cats." Callie glanced up at Arizona and Aria who had also come into the room.

"Why doesn't anyone want them?"

"Because they need to be taken care of extra specially."

"I want them. I'll take care of them." Alexa opened their cage and stroked each cats ears. The cats purred loudly, glad to have the extra attention. "Don't worry babies, I'm not like those other meanies."

"Mija, I thought you wanted a cute little kitten." Aria asked. "And we agreed to one, not two."

"No, everyone wants kittens. I what them. We can't separate them, Mommy." She looked at the two cuddling cats. "Look they're best friends."

"Callie, can I talk to you outside?" Aria asked. Arizona sat down next to Alexa and they pulled the cats out onto their laps.

Callie followed her sister out into the hall. She knew she was in trouble. "Callie, if we take these cats home, what can I expect?"

"You're seriously thinking of taking them?" Callie smiled in surprise.

"Of course, Calliope. I'm not a total heartless bitch like you think I am. Alexa obviously gets her big heart from you, but I'm not that cruel."

"I don't think that, Aria. Alexa wouldn't be as amazing as she is if her mom was a heartless cruel bitch."

"What kind of responsibility are we talking about here? I don't want to take them home and die on her."

"They are perfectly capable of living a good long life. You just have to keep up on their vet checks, keep them inside and away from other cats. You'll have to keep them on a strict diet too."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. I can give you all the reading material. People don't want to bother with the extra work and they can be incredibly expensive."

"That's horrible." Aria sighed. "I hope Dana doesn't kill me when I bring home two adult cats and no kitten."

"They're only a year old, close enough."

"Okay. Let's go talk to her." They walked back into the room to find Alexa and Arizona cuddled up on the floor with the cats in their laps. Callie wished she didn't leave her phone in the car. Aria sat down next to her daughter. "So, what are you naming them?"

"I can keep them?" Alexa smiled excitedly.

"Yes, you can keep them. We're going to have a long talk about it when we get home. This is huge commitment okay? You promise to do everything you can to keep them healthy and happy?"

"I promise, Mommy."

"I'll help you too. We'll do it together, okay?" Aria took the cat out of Arizona's lap and rubbed her face against his. "You sure are a sweetie, aren't you?" She cooed.

"Okay." Alexa hugged her cat and grinned. "Thank you."

"Did you pick names?" Arizona asked.

"No, I have to get to know them better first."

"Oh, of course."

"You two ready to take them home?" Callie smiled down at her sister and niece. She's never seen her sister care about anything other than herself, especially an animal. Maybe it wasn't just her parents who were changing.

"Yeah, let's go face your daddy." Aria stood up and put the cat in the carrier Callie was holding.

"Please, daddy can never say no to us." Alexa scoffed, making the adults laugh.

"That is true." Aria said. They walked into the front lobby where Addison was waiting for them.

"That was fast." Addison looked between the two carriers. "Two?"

"They are taking the FIV kitties."

"Really?" Addison grinned. "That's great!"

"We're going to go. It was great seeing you, Adds." Callie hugged her friend.

"You too, Cal."

Aria dropped Callie and Arizona off at their house. The two women were so tired, they headed straight to their bedroom. Callie was ready for bed first and crawled under the covers. "Hey, babe!" She called into the bathroom where Arizona was brushing her teeth. "What do you think about moving this bed to a guest room and bringing mine over?"

Arizona spit into the sink and came out of the bathroom. "Yeah, we can do that. I do sleep better in yours."

"Okay, I'll make Mark bring it over in his truck."

"He's a good friend." Arizona turned off the light and crawled into bed with her girlfriend.

"The best." Callie smiled. She didn't know how she got lucky enough to have the greatest girlfriend and the best friends. She tuned so she was on her side and wiggled her butt into Arizona. The blonde wrapped her arms around Callie and scooted as close as possible against her back. "What are you thinking about?"

"Your family." Arizona said barely above a whisper.

"What about them?"

"It's just that spending time with them really makes me miss mine, especially Tim. He would have made the best dad and uncle." Arizona loosened her hold on the brunette when she started to shift. Callie turned around in Arizona's arms so they were face to face.

"I'm sorry, Mariposa." Callie whispered while kissing Arizona's forehead. The blonde shrugged. There really wasn't a response to that. "Do you want to see about planning a trip out to see your parents soon?"

"We would have to wait until after the new year. This time of year is incredibly busy in our business."

"That's definitely doable." Callie smiled at the thought of planning a real trip with her girlfriend. "If we wait until February, then we can make it our one year together trip."

"You want to spend our one year anniversary with my parents?" Arizona scrunched up her face. It sounded like a horrible idea to her.

"Not really, we can just make it a pit stop to somewhere much more sexy than your parent's house."

"Okay," Arizona smiled. "Wow almost a whole year already?"

"I know." Callie slowly kissed Arizona's lips. "Best year of my life."

"Mine too. I can't believe how much has happened."

"We still have four months to go. Who knows what can happen in that time?"

"I'm sure whatever happens will be amazing."

"I'm really excited to spend the holidays with you." Callie couldn't wait to take Arizona to the pumpkin patch and to pick out a Christmas tree. She was looking forward to cuddling in front of the fire drinking hot chocolate as the snow falls outside and to spending Christmas morning with her. She was excited to kiss the love of her life at midnight on New Year's eve. It was all the stuff she dreamed about sharing with the woman she loved her whole life.

"I know, me too." The two women held each other closely as they thought about the upcoming months.

"So, what costumes did you two pick out?" Callie asked nonchalantly after awhile.

"Nice try, Calliope. I'm not telling."

"What if I want to get something to match?"

"I know better than that." Arizona laughed at the thought of what Callie could possibly get to match her and Alexa.

"Damn. I'm sure whatever it is you're both going to be cute as hell."

"Of course." Arizona smiled against Callie's neck. She had somehow nuzzled her way into one of her favorite places to be without even realizing it. The scent, warmth, and steady heart beats of her girlfriend were lulling Arizona to sleep.

"Mariposa?"

"Hmm?"

"Love you." Callie whispered as the two drifted off to sleep.

_Love you more._


	33. Chapter 30: I'm not mad

**This chapter is so scattered...**

* * *

"Hey, Cal. What are you doing here? I thought you took tonight off to go trick or treating with your two children?"

"I did, but the overgrown one kicked me out of the house so they could get ready." Callie plopped down in Mark's extra chair and leaned forward to see the sketch he was working on. "Nice zombie, Momo."

"It seemed appropriate for Halloween."

"Where is everybody?" Callie looked around the empty shop.

"I sent them home. Cristina was whining about missing out on Halloween tequila specials at Joes. Bailey was lecturing me on god knows what and George was just staring at the ceiling being useless. I'm just waiting for my last quick client, then I'm out of here."

"What are you and Lexie up to tonight?" Callie picked up the bowl of candy they had on hand in case some trick or treaters came by and dug through it until she found her favorite peanut butter cups. She unwrapped it and put it in her mouth, moaning at the peanut buttery goodness.

"She wants to stay home and hand out candy to kids. She likes to see the costumes, I guess. She's really into Halloween. You should have seen the ninja turtle costume she wore to work. It was the cutest thing."

"Yeah, Arizona had one too. I think each of them were a different one." Callie smiled at Mark using the word cute to describe a woman. He usually stuck with more colorful words. Lexie was changing her friend and she liked it. "Remember when we'd go out on Halloween and see who could pick up the girl with the skankiest costume?"

"Yeah and you always beat me!"

"Because I'm hotter." Callie laughed and unwrapped another candy.

"You are not!"

"I am too!" Callie threw her candy wrapper at his head.

"Those were good times. What happened?" Mark turned his attention back to his drawing. He wanted to get it done so he could give it to Lexie later.

Callie picked up one of Mark's pencils and stole a piece of paper. She was in a zombie drawing mood too. "We grew up."

"When did that happen?" Mark joked.

"The day that damn building next door turned pink." Callie smiled. If someone had told her that day that her life would be turned completely turned upside down by a perky, heely wearing baker a few months later she would have called them crazy and threw her coffee at them. "Did you ever think we'd turn out this way?"

"No, I thought we'd be hitting on the old ladies at the nursing home together when we were old and grey."

"I never wanted to live that long."

Mark looked up in shock. "Wow, Cal. Mood killer."

"I just mean that I never saw my life going anywhere. I didn't think I would ever meet anyone or have a family of my own. The thought of living that long as unhappy as I used to be was incredibly daunting." Callie could feel Mark staring at the top of her head, but she remained focused on her drawing.

"You never gave yourself enough credit. You were always going to find someone, because you're great, Cal. I wish you could see that you deserve happiness."

"I know that now. I didn't see it back then is what I'm saying."

"Ah I see. I'm sorry you felt that way."

"It wasn't you're fault." Callie looked up from her drawing. "How are you and Lexie?" The way Mark's face lit up at the mention of the younger girls name was all the answer she needed.

"She's really great."

"I like her. A bit young and doe eyed for you, but it works for some reason."

"She's not that much younger than us."

"Six years? When we were graduating high school, she was eleven."

"When we're old we won't even notice there is a difference. I don't even notice it now."

"When you're old? So she's it for you?"

"I think so." Mark grinned. "I can't imagine my life without her in it."

"I know exactly what you mean." Callie said, matching her best friend's grin. "I miss this."

"What?"

"You and me. We never get alone time to just talk anymore."

"I miss it too, but the reason isn't all that bad."

"Definitely not. Maybe we should hang out just the four of us more often. Arizona and Lexie obviously get along."

"I don't think your girl likes me."

"She does too, Mark. I wouldn't be with her if she didn't like my best friend."

"Really?"

"Yes, I promise. She likes you."

"She's not so bad either."

"You love her, admit it."

"I wouldn't say I love her, but I do love what she has done for you."

"She's changed my life, Momo." Callie smiled and the friends went back to working on their zombies.

"We could go to Joes tonight after you're done trick or treating."

"No can do. I have a special costume waiting at home for Arizona and it is not Joes appropriate attire."

"Come on, I've seen girls at Joe wearing practically nothing on Halloween. It can't be that bad can it?"

"Let's just say Arizona would win the who got the skankiest girl contest of all time."

"Cal-Cals, you are not a skank."

"Aww, thanks Mark. I am letting out my inner skank tonight though." She winked and stole more candy from the bowl. "Every girls got one."

"I don't think Lexie does."

"I don't believe that for a second." Callie laughed. She was sure there was something more hidden deep inside the younger woman. She looked at Mark in confusion when she heard knocking at the back door. He looked like her heard it too. "What the hell? Who would knock at that door?"

"No idea." He got up to answer it while she waited at his station.

"Trick or treat!" Callie heard two very familiar voices yell. She grinned, grabbed the bowl of candy, and headed for the back.

"Oh my god." Callie laughed when she saw Alexa and Arizona. Her girlfriend looked ridiculously cute in a giant cupcake costume and Alexa was dressed up as a little baker. Callie noticed her intricate braids, Heelys, and Awesome Bakery embroidered chefs coat and realized she wasn't dressed up as just any baker, she was Arizona. "You guys look amazing!"

"I'm Auntie Zona!" Alexa said gleefully. She expertly skated up to her aunt and grabbed a handful of candy for her bag.

"Yeah, I see that. Very cute." Callie stepped closed to Arizona and tried to give her a kiss, but couldn't reach her face over the rounded cupcake. "And you look like the most delicious cupcake I've ever seen. I can't wait to take you home eat you out... I mean up." She smirked showing Arizona her slip was definitely intentional.

"Calliope!" Arizona looked pointedly at Alexa. "Shhh!"

"She has no idea what I'm talking about."

"You know how she repeats things." Arizona whispered.

"Fine, I'm sorry. It wasn't even that bad." Callie bent over and picked up the little girl. "Come on, I know what will make your costume look even better." She carried her over to her work station and set her in the chair. She pulled out a set of markers and picked out what colors she wanted. "Your mom is so going to kill me for this, but we don't care do we?"

"No!" Alexa grinned as she watched her aunt roll up the sleeve of her chef jacket and start to draw butterflies on her arm.

"There, now your costume is complete." Callie finished up and lifted Alexa out of the chair. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!"

"Bye Mark! Having fun handing out candy tonight."

"Bye, ladies." Mark smiled as he watched them walk out the door. The bright grin on his best friends face as she watched Arizona and Alexa skip out in front of her was blinding. Callie looked up and waved to Mark through the window. He shook his head and went back to his zombie. He couldn't help but think about when he'd be able to do that with Lexie and a kid of their own one day.

"So I thought we'd go to the shops and houses around here first, then we have to go up to my parents to show off your costumes. Does that sound okay?" Callie asked while taking Arizona's hand.

"I'm not sure I can get into a car in this thing."

"How'd you get here?"

"I had it at the bakery and out it on right before coming to see you guys."

"Ah. Well, we'll figure it out." Callie laughed when Arizona accidentally ran into a parking meter.

"Don't laugh at me, Calliope! I'm not used to being this wide." Arizona said as she bumped into Alexa, knocking the little girl on her butt. "Lex! I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Auntie Zona. I'm not hurt." Alexa jumped back up and began rolling around the two women. "When can we get more candy!"

"Right now." They stopped in front of Monty's and Alexa whooped. He always gave away full sized candy bars. None of that fun sized crap. Callie held the door open for the two trick or treaters and closed her lips tight to hold her laughter in when Arizona bumped against the door.

"Trick or treat!" Alexa yelled as she ran in.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" Monty asked as he came up from the back of the shop. Today he was dressed up as a very convincing Frankenstein's monster.

"I baked Aunt Zona!"

"Oh you did, did you?"

"Yup! Do you have candy?"

"Do I have candy?" Monty scoffed. "What a silly question." He lifted the little girl so she could see into the giant cauldron he had filled with candy bars. "Don't tell all the other children, but you can pick out two."

"Thank you! I won't tell." Alexa took her time picking out just the right candy.

"Miss. Callie, what are you supposed to be?" Monty looked the plainly dressed woman up and down. "Because you look an awful lot like yourself."

"Auntie Callie doesn't dress up." Alexa not-so quietly whispered. "She's boring."

"Oh I see. I have just the thing to fix that." Monty went to the back and came back with a small package. He ripped it open and stuck something on Callie's head before she could stop him. "There now she's an alien disguised as a human!"

Alexa and Arizona started to giggle uncontrollably at the antennas on Callie's head. The brunette scowled and went to take them off, but was stopped by her girlfriend's hand. "Babe, keep them on. Please?"

"Yeah, pleeeeease, Auntie Callie?" Alexa begged.

Callie looked between the two sets of puppy dog eyes they were giving her and sighed. "Will you stop calling me boring?"

"I promise!"

"Fine." Callie glared at Monty. He grinned at her with that ever present twinkle in his eye. "Let's go to the next place." They continued to go from shop to shop visiting with the owners and getting candy. Callie was enjoying getting to chat a little in each store. It's been awhile since she's made the rounds to see her fellow shop owners. Times were rough these days, but they had all managed to keep in business. Alexa and Arizona were enjoying all the attention they were getting from their costumes. When they finished with downtown, they walked a few blocks over to hit up some houses. It was the first year in five years where it wasn't either freezing cold or raining on Halloween night and the streets were crowded with trick or treaters. After an hour of walking around, Callie could tell Alexa was starting to get tired. She was dragging her now full bag of candy on the sidewalk behind her. It had gotten too heavy for the little girl to carry. Callie took the bag from her and was surprised at how heavy it was. She had no idea how her niece was able to make it this far. "Lex, I think you have enough here. Are you ready to head back?"

"Nooo, I'm having fun." Alexa was getting whining. It was definitely time to go.

"Baby girl, I'm getting tired too. We still have to walk all the way back and go to your grandparents. I bet the have a special great waiting for you there." Arizona said, trying to bend down the the little girls level and failing. At least she managed to stop running into everything.

"Do I get to have some of my candy now?"

"Sure." Callie reached in her bag and pulled out a lollipop. "Is this okay?" Alexa nodded and she unwrapped it before handing it to her niece. "You don't get to skate and eat that. Just walk. I don't need you falling and jamming it down your throat or in your eye."

"How would that ever happen?" Arizona asked.

"You never know." Callie shrugged and took her girlfriends hand. Arizona reached out her free hand for Alexa to take. They walked back to Evangeline's in silence as they watched all the trick or treaters running around. Callie saw a lot of cute costumes and maybe she was being biased, but she thought that her two girls were the cutest by far. When they got to Evangeline's, Callie headed straight for her car.

"Wait, I have to go inside and get something." Arizona dug her keys out from the depths of her cupcake costume and disappeared inside her shop. She came out soon after with a pink box in her hand.

"What's that?"

"It's a pumpkin pie for your mom."

"You know you don't have to bring her something every time you see her, right?"

"I know, but it doesn't hurt." Arizona shrugged and looked apprehensively at the car. "Umm... I have no idea how to do this."

"Can't you just take it off?"

Arizona looked at Alexa. "Well, I kind of have a different costume underneath." She leaned in closer to Callie and whispered. "One meant for your eyes only."

Callie raised her eyebrows and smiled. "On really?"

"Uh huh." Arizona bit her bottom lip in the way she knew drove her girlfriend crazy.

"I think we should skip my parents and go home."

"Calliope that's rude They've been looking forward to seeing Lex."

"You won't think that when you see the costume I have for your eyes only." Callie whispered. She laughed when Arizona's face flushed.

"Aunties what are you whispering about?" Alexa did not like being included in this conversation.

"Nothing, baby girl." Arizona opened the back door and shoved herself into the back seat. She could hear Callie and Alexa laughing at her when her head disappeared inside the costume. "Let's go!" She heard Alexa climb into the backseat next or her and felt the car start to move. Not being able to see was making her car sick a little bit. It got worse when they hit the curvy roads that led up to the Torres house.

"You okay back there, Mariposa."

"Just peachy." Arizona mumbled from inside the cupcake.

"What? Can't hear you!"

"I'm fine!" Arizona glared in the direction she heard Callie's laughter come from. She finally felt them slow to a stop and heard the window roll down, followed by the beeping of Callie entering the code into the keypad. The car moved again and soon came to another stop. Arizona fractionally reached for the door handle, but couldn't find it. Callie quickly came to her rescue though.

"Babe, be careful." Callie laughed when the blonde practically fell out of the car. "You're quite the clumsy cupcake."

"Shut up, Calliope." Arizona growled. She really wished she thought this through better.

"A clumsy and grumpy cupcake." Callie smiled when Arizona's head finally popped out, her blue eyes immediately narrowing in on her. "I love you."

"Don't you 'I love you' me with those eyes. It's not going to work this time."

"What did I do?"

"You're laughing at my pain."

"You don't seem like you're in pain." Callie used her finger to pull at the collar of the cupcake and tried to take a peak inside "What do you have on under there?"

"Calliope! No peeking." Arizona laughed and batted her hand away. "You'll just have to wait and see." She winked and turned to Alexa with her hand out. "Come on, little lady, let's go get our treats."

Callie opened the passenger side door and grabbed the pie. "Don't bother parking the car, we won't be here long." She told the waiting valet. She hurried to catch up to her girls and made it just in time to see her mother's reaction.

"Oh my goodness! You two look so cute!" Lucia smiled at the cupcake and baker. "Calliope, aren't they cute?"

"Adorable." Callie handed her mom the box. "Arizona made you a pie."

"Thank you." Lucia took the box and smelled it. "Mmmm... what kind?"

"Pumpkin and you're very welcome."

"Well, hello!" Carlos greeted coming up behind his wife.

"Hi!" Alexa jumped in his arms for a hug. "Auntie Callie says you have treats for us.

"Auntie Callie is correct. Why don't you ladies come in?" Lucia and Carlos stepped back to let the trio in. Alexa rolled down the long hallway and back.

"My shoes have wheels!" Her squeals echoed in the bare hall.

"We see that. How about we don't skate in the house? Okay?"

"Okay." Alexa bounced up and down, eager for her treat but knew she shouldn't ask again. She didn't understand why the adults were just staring at her. She smiled a tight lipped smile, trying desperately not to explode.

"You okay there, Lex?" Callie asked.

"Pleeeeease can I have my treat?" Alexa blurted. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Si nieta, I know you tried really hard, but you need to learn patience."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I know that you are excited." Carlos led his family to his office and had them sit in the seating area. Alexa went straight for the special toy stash her grandfather kept in his office. Carlos wasn't able to hide his amusement when Arizona struggled to sit down. "Calliope would you and Arizona like a drink?"

"No thank you Papa. We're not staying long. Just until Aria gets here to pick up Alexa."

"Arizona, I have something I think you would like to see." Lucia abruptly got up and left the room.

Arizona and Callie exchanged confused glances. "Papa, what is she getting?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure. If it is what I think it is, please don't kill you're mother. I'm quite fond of her."

"What it is?" Callie wasn't too happy about what it could possibly be.

"You'll see, mija. It's not that bad." He looked up when Lucia entered the room with a giant book and a big smile.

"Oh my god, Mama, no!" Callie recognized the item right away.

Ignoring her daughters protests, Lucia held the book out to Arizona. The blonde struggled to reach out for it. "Why don't you take that ridiculous thing off?" Lucia asked.

Arizona blushed, "Um, I would need something else to wear."

"I see." Lucia handed the book to her husband. "Do not let Calliope hide that."

"I'll do me best." Carlos chuckled.

Lucia walked to the door again and turned around to look at Arizona. "Well come on then."

"Mama, where are you taking her?"

"To find her something to wear."

"I'll go with you." Callie stood up and helped pull her girlfriend off the couch.

"Nonsense, Calliope. Arizona and I have already proven we can be alone together without a problem. She will be fine. Now come on Arizona." Arizona had no choice but to follow the older Torres out of the range of Callie's safety.

"It's not Arizona I'm worried about." Callie mumbled under her breath.

"Calliope, they will be fine. You're mother is trying very hard and Arizona loves you. They will do anything to make you happy."

"I know..." Callie sighed. She still wasn't sure about this.

Arizona followed Lucia down a hall she hadn't seen before. This one had its walls covered from floor to ceiling in family pictures. It made this place actually look like a home. A lot of the people she didn't recognize, which didn't surprise the blonde since she knew Callie had a very large extended family. She hoped she'd get to meet some of these people some day. Without realizing it, she stopped to stare at a large portrait of three young girls. They were sitting on a blanket against a big tree, wrapped in each others arms. They were smiling like they have never been happier. She was able to pick out Callie easily. She was the smallest and even though she's heard it many times, she was still surprised to see how much Alexa resembled her at this age. Arizona was also able to pick out Aria. She looked exactly the same, just smaller. That meant the last girl wedged happily between her two sisters had to be Evangeline.

"My girls." Lucia said quietly from directly behind Arizona, startling the blonde. "Beautiful, aren't they?"

"They are very beautiful." Arizona smiled sadly.

"Calliope was about eight years old here. This was taken two years before Evangeline was diagnosed." Lucia reached out and touched her middle daughters face. "She was such a happy child. So full of life, love, and had a great appreciation for everything around her. She was like that until the day we lost her. She was the best big sister she could be to Calliope and the most annoying little sister to Aria." Lucia laughed. "Poor Aria. They always ganged up on her, which was odd considering Aria and Evangeline were closer in age than Calliope and Evangeline. For some reason they just got along better. They completely understood each other. I swore they could read each others minds the way the used to be able to communicate and work against the rest of us without saying a word. Those two were a force to be reckoned with."

"My brother and I were very much the same way. My parents didn't know what to do with us half of the time." Arizona said as she continued to study the picture. She couldn't stop looking at it.

"I'm sorry you and your parents had to go through that. Losing a child is the worst that could possibly happen. It changes you. I wake up every morning regretting how much I failed Aria and Calliope after losing Eva. I was so lost in my grief, I didn't bother to show my love for my other two daughters."

"Everybody grieves differently, Mrs. Torres." Arizona didn't agree with how this woman handled her relationship with her daughter, but she, of all people, knew she had no right to judge how someone else grieved.

"Lucia, please." Lucia and Arizona stared at the picture in silence for awhile longer. "I like you Arizona. I really do. I really am sorry about how poorly I treated you at first. I'm grateful Calliope found you. You seem to make her very happy."

"She makes me the happiest I ever been." Arizona smiled at the older Torres. "I just hope I can show her the same happiness she has given me."

"You two compliment each other well." Arizona nodded in response. "We should really get you something to wear before Calliope panics and thinks one of us did the other in."

"You're probably right." Arizona laughed. With one last look at the eight year old version of her girlfriend, the blonde followed Lucia up a flight of stairs. It led to another long hallway full of closed doors. Lucia stopped outside one of the ones towards the end of the hall and put her hand on the knob.

"When Calliope moved out ten years ago she left in a pretty big hurry, so a lot of her clothes and belongings were left behind." Both women decided to ignore the fact that she didn't just move out on her own, she was kicked out. She turned the knob and pushed open the door and let Arizona go in first. "I'm sure there's something in here that will fit you." Lucia smiled as Arizona looked around in awe. It was like a tomb of her girlfriends teenaged years. "I don't think Calliope even knows we left it exactly like it was when she left." Lucia took a seat in her daughters old desk chair and watched as the blonde looked around.

"She hasn't changed much in her decorating style." Arizona laughed and the dark red walls and black furniture. She went to the closet, eager to change out of her cupcake costume so she could look around easier. It looked like her girlfriends style hadn't changed much either. It was full of old band tshirts and even had two leather jackets. She picked up an obviously loved white Joan Jett and the Blackhearts tshirt. It was thinning from being worn and washed so much. It seemed a little too casual for the Torres residence, but Arizona just shrugged and set it aside to change into once she found some bottoms. She only had a pair of shear leggings on under the cupcake. She dug through a pile of jeans she found and frowned. They were mostly all holey and torn up. She was sure Callie spent a ton of money to get jeans that made her look homeless. She finally found a pair of what looked to be plain black yoga type pants. Arizona went to the dresser and was able to find a tank top to put on under the white shirt. "Where can I change?"

"There's a bathroom right there." Lucia pointed to a door behind Arizona that the blonde had somehow failed to notice. Arizona went into the bathroom and set the clothes on the closed toilet lid. The room matched the bedroom's color scheme, but was bare. She managed to wiggle out of her cupcake and looked at her reflection. Luckily her second costume would easily be hidden under the clothes. She pulled the tank top and tshirt over her head, inhaling deeply. Teenaged Callie smelled exactly like grown up Callie. After putting the pants on and rolling them up at the waist so they wouldn't drag, she reentered the bedroom.

"Interesting choices." Lucia said with a smile. "I remember that shirt well. Calliope wore it all the time. I'm surprised she left it here.

"Arizona! Mama!" They heard Callie calling from down the hall. "Where are you?!"

"Uh oh, we're busted." Arizona said.

"In your old room, Mija!"

Callie stepped into the doorway and looked around in shock. "Oh my god."

"We haven't touched anything." Lucia promised.

"I can't believe it's still here." Callie entered her childhood room and started looking through her things. Everything was exactly as she remembered it.

"Where would it go?"

"I don't know. I figured you would have burned my stuff the first chance you got."

"Calliope, please. We wouldn't never do that."

"I didn't think you'd ever kick me out either, but that happened."

"Calliope..." Arizona warned.

Callie had forgotten her girlfriend was even in the room and turned around to face her. A huge grin spread across her face when she saw what she was wearing. "That's my shirt."

"Yeah, is this okay?"

"Of course." Callie shook her head in amazement. "I just never thought I'd have a girl in my room at my parents house dressed in my clothes."

"It doesn't really count when your mother is chaperoning us." Arizona smiled back.

"I could leave if you want." Lucia stood up. "And pretend I don't know she's here so you can sneak around behind my back."

"Mama, no it's okay. Aria's here and I really want to go home." Callie smirked at her girlfriend. Seeing her in her old clothes did something funny to her insides. She really wanted to take her home.

"No, I want to see what your mom was going to show me." Arizona recognized the look in Callie's eyes, but that could wait.

"Fine, come on." Callie grabbed the blondes hand and drug her out of the room and down the hallway. She knew she'd just stall their evening if she tried to argue.

When they got back to the office, they found Alexa in Aria's lap giggling at the book Lucia had brought in. "Auntie Callie! You look so silly!"

"What are you talking about, Lex?" Arizona asked.

"Look!" The little girl pointed to a page in the book. Arizona sat down on one side of Aria, while Callie sat on the other side. The blonde laughed when she saw a much younger Callie dressed up as a puppy.

"What is this?" Arizona asked.

"All three of our girls used to love Halloween, so we always made it a big deal around here. We kept this photo album with every costume they ever wore in it." Lucia said. "I thought it would be something Alexa and you would like to see, so I spent all day looking for it."

Aria turned the page and burst out laughing. "Whose idea was this?"

Callie looked at the picture of the three girls all wearing matching white wedding dresses. Mark was standing next to Callie dressed as her groom. "Mine, obviously." Aria turned the page again. Evangeline grinned back at them wearing a lion costume with a huge main and her nose painted black. On the next page, Evangeline had the same costume on. She was holding the hands of an older Aria who was dressed as a tin man and Callie who dressed as a scarecrow. Lucia stood behind them in a Dorothy dress and Carlos was next to her dressed as the Wizard of Oz.

"I really hated this costume." Aria laughed.

"Yeah, but you did it for Eva." Callie took her sister's hand and squeezed.

"Yeah..." Aria's face fell when she remembered why she painted her face silver and hung out with her family when she would much rather had been out with her friends.

"Mommy, why are you sad?" Alexa picked up her mom's mood shift immediately.

"Because Mommy misses her sister." Aria said hugging her daughter tightly.

"This was her last Halloween..." Callie whispered. "I think that was the last costume I ever wore."

"Me too." Aria agreed. She turned the page again and found it blank. The picture was the last one in the album.

"But you still love Halloween." Arizona got up and moved so she could sit next to Callie.

"I know. I just don't feel like dressing up anymore." Callie leaned her body into her girlfriend, taking comfort in her embrace. "It's still my favorite holiday."

Aria flipped the pages back a few pictures to the close up of Evangeline. "She was really pretty, Mommy." Alexa observed. She's heard a little bit about her namesake before, but not nearly enough.

"She was. She loved animals just as much as you."

"Really?" Alexa smiled.

"Yeah, she was going to be a veterinarian when she grew up."

"I want to do that too!"

"I know, mija." Aria looked up to see her parents watching them with small smiles on their faces. Lucia got up and left the room suddenly again. She came back with the cupcake costume and a camera.

"Arizona would you mind putting this back on for a minute so I can get a picture?" Lucia held the costume out to the blonde.

"Are you sure?"

"Don't argue with me." Lucia shook it at her. Arizona stood up quickly, took the cupcake, and slipped it over what she was wearing. She looked at Lucia expectantly. "Alexa, go stand next to Arizona." Alexa immediately obeyed and jumped off her mom's lap. Lucia had them do a few poses before she was happy with a picture. She handed the camera to her husband. "Go do whatever it is on your computer to print that out."

Arizona took the cupcake back off and sat back down next to Callie. "I see where you get your bossiness from." Arizona whispered.

"I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, you kind of are."

Carlos went to his desk to print off the picture and gave it to his wife. She grabbed it and took the photo album out of Aria's hands. She turned to the first blank page and stuck the picture in. "There. Now maybe we can finally fill this book up." Callie, Arizona, and Aria just stared up at the older Torres in disbelief. "Stop looking at me like that. It's just a picture. Alexa, you have been very patient. Would you like your treat now?"

"Yes, please!" Alexa jumped in Arizona's lap and looked up at her grandmother. Lucia grabbed the four small packages that were hidden under the table and gave one to each of the girls. Arizona looked at her girlfriend in confusion.

"Halloween presents." Callie explained.

"I've never heard of Halloween presents." Arizona held the package in her hands and shook it. She really wanted to open it, but no one else was. She didn't want to be the impatient looking one. That was Alexa's job.

"Our parents made it up when we were kids." Aria said. "They stopped doing it for awhile, but started again when Alexa was born."

"Can I open it Mommy?" When her mom nodded she tore open her present and found a box. She slowly took off the lid and gasped. "It's so pretty! Can you put it on me, Aunt Zona?"

"Sure, baby girl." Arizona put her still wrapped present down and took Alexa's box.

"Look Alexa, we match." Aria said pulling out her gold heart necklace with a small diamond shining in the middle.

"This is for Dana," Carlos handed Aria a box. "Cuff links. I didn't think he'd appreciate a necklace."

"Thank you guys."

"Yeah, thank you!" Alexa slid off Arizona's lap to hug her grandparents. She crawled into Carlos' lap and settle there. "Open yours aunties!" The little girl tried to suppress a yawn, but failed. It was now four hours passed her bedtime. Her parents never usually let her stay up this late, so she was going to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Callie and Arizona opened theirs to find the same box as the other two. They looked at each other curiously, wondering what Lucia could have picked out for them. Callie took the lid off of hers and blinked at would was in it.

"They fit together. The girl at the jewelry store said that kids your age like that kind of thing." Lucia saw that the two women were both staring blankly at their gifts. "I can take them back if your don't like them."

"No, Mama. They're perfect." Callie took put the small puzzle piece necklace and reached over to take Arizona's. She stuck then together and held them up for the blonde to see. They fit together perfectly. Callie smiled at her mother. There was no way Lucia could have known that Callie was always calling Arizona her missing puzzle piece. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thank you guys." Arizona finally spoke up. She decided she loved Halloween gifts. She locked eyes with Callie and nodded in response to the brunette's unasked question.

"So, we're going to go now." Callie said still looking at her girlfriend. They stood up and broke eye contact to say their good byes and thank yous. They gathered their things and hurried out of the house. When they got outside, Callie spun around to face her girlfriend. She grabbed her hips and pulled her close against her body. "Do I get to see what you have under there now?"

"Right here?" Arizona looked around. They were barely off the front porch.

"Just a peek." Callie lifted the blonde's shirt up slightly. "Please?"

"Calliope! No way." Arizona laughed.

"Whyyy?"

"You know why." Arizona took Callie's hand and pulled her towards the car, but stopped suddenly when they got close. "Oh crap, I forgot my cupcake."

"We'll get it later." Callie pushed her girlfriend against the car door and planted her lips on hers. Arizona didn't respond at first. She didn't think this was an appropriate place to be doing this, but when Callie Torres is kissing you with such need, you sure as hell better kiss her back. Arizona wrapped her arms around the brunettes neck and showed her her just how much she wanted her too.

"Callie, don't forget to breath!" Aria yelled on the way to her car, making Alexa giggle.

Callie broke their kiss with a growl. "Bite me, Aria!" She smiled at Arizona and leaned in to continue their kiss.

"No more, Calliope." Arizona pushed her away and laughed at the look of rejection on Callie's face. "I think you can wait until we get home."

"Fine." Callie reached around Arizona and pulled up the door. "Get in."

"See, I told you were bossy."

"Not bossy." Callie pushed Arizona down in the seat. "Horny." Arizona scooted across the bench seat to the passenger side, giving the brunette room to get in the drivers seat.

"If you get pulled over for speeding, you better explain to the popo exactly why."

"I'm sure he'd understand after seeing you." Callie expertly navigated the curvy mountain road and made it to town in record time. She skidded to a stop in front of their house and jumped out. "Coming?" When Arizona got out, Callie pinned her against the car again. "Now?"

"No!" Arizona laughed. "You don't get to see my costume until I get to see yours."

"That's not fair!"

"How is that not fair?"

"I don't know."

"That's what I thought. That longer you wait to change," Arizona lifted her shirt just enough to reveal a little bit of something white and lacy. "The longer you have to wait to see the rest of this." That was all Callie needed to see before she quickly disappeared inside the house.

Arizona assumed Callie went to their room, so she went to the guest bedroom to get the rest of her costume she hid under the bed. She pulled out off her clothes leaving her in only the see threw white lacy corset she had to drive to the next town over to find. She had made sure to get one that she could tighten in the front, so she didn't need help. Drawing in a deep breath, she pulled tightly on the strings and tied it off. Arizona glanced at herself in the mirror and marveled at how amazing the corset made her boobs look. She grabbed a new pair of white heels she knew Callie would love and put them on. She looked in the mirror again and smiled. This was definitely going to be a good night.

Callie rummaged around their closet on her hands and knees trying to remember where she hid the last part of her costume. Sometimes she hid things so well from her girlfriend, she could never find them again herself. "Where are you, you piece of shit." She mumbled to herself, throwing shoes over her shoulder. They really needed a bigger closet. Maybe if the ever finished the kitchen, that could be their next project.

Arizona walked into their bedroom and ducked when a flip flop came flying out of the closet at her head. She walked over and started drooling at the site before her. All she could see was Callie's practically bare ass in the air as she frantically searched around. Arizona didn't say anything, she was just going to enjoy the view until Callie noticed her.

Callie noticed that something was suddenly blocking her light and looked over her shoulder. She nearly fell over when she saw her angel grinning down at her. The halo and wings sparkled against the lights of the bedroom. Callie ran her eyes up the blonde's bare legs, to her hips, and landed on her chest. Callie didn't know what kind of magic the corset her girlfriend was wearing possessed, but it made her look sexier than she has ever seen her and that was saying a lot. The tall heels sure helped too. Callie couldn't rip her eyes away from Arizona's chest. "Are you going to stay down there and stare at me?"

"Uh..." Callie shifted so she was in a seated position. "Yeah, I think I will."

Arizona took in the red with black trim bra and panties set Callie was wearing. Actually she didn't think panties was the right word for what her girlfriend had on. More like three prices of string tied together. The bra didn't cover much either. "I don't get it? What are you?"

"If I can find the rest, you'll see." Callie turned around and starting going through random shoe boxes until she finally found what she was looking for. "Ah ha!" She pulled out the headband, stuck it on her head, and looked up at Arizona with a wicked grin.

"Devil?" Arizona laughed. Of course they'd pick out costumes that went together without even knowing it.

"See, you got it." Callie stood slowly stood up, running her hands up creamy smooth legs and over perfect hips. She gripped her waist and pulled the blonde close. "You were really wearing this all night?"

"I was."

"I like it." Callie placed her hands over Arizona's breasts. "I like it a lot."

"I thought you would." Arizona looked down into Callie's eyes. Her heels giving her a rare height advantage. "I like being taller than you for once."

Callie smiled and lifted her chin to kiss Arizona. "I like to too." She said against her lips. The brunette started to push Arizona backwards out of the closet. When they hit the bed, she pushed her down and straddled her. Arizona ran her hands over the smooth flesh of her girlfriend's stomach until she hit her bra.

"This is hot, but it has over stayed its welcome." She undid the front clasp and grinned at the site of the breasts bouncing from their restraint. Before she could get her hands on them, Callie leaned down and kissed her hard, pushing her up the bed further. **Do you wanna touch (yeah) Do you wanna touch (yeah) Do you wanna touch me there, where Do you wanna touch (yeah) **Suddenly filled the room at a loud volume, but both woman ignored it. "Calliope, your phone." Arizona broke their kiss and said when the song started playing again.

"I'm busy." Callie kissed her way down the blondes neck. **Do you wanna touch (yeah) Do you wanna-** Callie growled and reached over to silence her phone.

"Calliope, it seems important." Arizona panted out. The way the brunette was grinding against her was making it hard to think straight.

"I'll call them back." **Dance your cares away, worries for another day. Let the music play, down at Fraggle Rock!** Arizona's phone started going off. "Fuck!" Callie was getting frustrated. She continued kissing her way towards Arizona's flushed chest and fumbled to untie the strings that were keeping her form experiencing all their glory.

**Dance your cares away/Do you wanna touch/worries for another day/yeah, do you wanna touch/let the music play/me there/down at Fraggle Rock! **Both their phones started ringing at the same time.

"Calliope, I really think we need to see who that is."

Callie sighed and picked up her phone. "What?" She answered without looking at the caller id.

"Torres, you need to come down to the shop."

"Cristina, it's one in the morning."

"Is Arizona with you?"

Callie sat up straight and looked at her girlfriend. The brunette was suddenly alarmed by the seriousness in Cristina's voice and the fact she called Arizona by her actual name. "Of course. Cris, what's going on?"

"She needs to come too."

"Cristina! Did something happen?" Callie jumped out of bed and went to put on some clothes. Arizona sat up and watched Callie run around the room, worry etched across her face. The brunette motioned for Arizona to get up and get dressed too.

"Cal, just get down here. Now." There was a click and the line went dead.

"We need to go to Evangelines's." Callie told her girlfriend as she hopped into a pair of jeans. For some reason they weren't cooperating. "Shit, these are yours." She pulled them off and handed them to Arizona. The blonde noticed that Callie's hands were shaking.

"Calliope, what happened."

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. She said you needed to come too."

"Did something happen to my bakery?" Arizona started to move faster, struggling to get out of the corset. Callie reached over to help her out. This was not how they pictured the costume coming off.

"I don't know." Callie slipped on some shoes once Arizona was free from her contraption. "She sounded serious though. She even called you Arizona."

"Oh my god." Arizona ran around the room trying to find a matching pair of shoes. Callie had mixed them all up on her quest for her devil horns. She settled on a mismatched pair of flip flops. The two women ran down the stairs, skipping steps along the way. They jumped into the Thunderbird and Callie skidded out of the driveway. The drive was silent, each coming up with worst case scenarios. When they approached the main street they both let out a sigh of relieve to see their shops standing and intact. There was a rather large crowd standing on the sidewalk in front of them though. When Callie came to a halt in front of her shop, the women scrambled out of the car and pushed their way to the front. The stopped dead in the tracks when they saw what had been spray painted across their windows and outer walls. The window on Evangeline's door was also shattered, the bench that usually sat outside was now inside.

"Cal!" Cristina called out when she saw her friend. She had been standing in front of Joe's with Mark waiting for the police. Callie and Arizona seemed to be in a state of shock, not comprehending anything that was going on around them. "Torres!"

Callie turned her head and gasped when she saw what was painted across Joe's windows. She also saw that Mark had someone pinned to the ground underneath him. Cristina ran over to the women and snapped her fingers in front of there faces to get their attention. There eyes moved towards her, but still remained unfocused. "So that dumbass over there thought he'd be able to vandalize a bar with it full of people. You should have seen Sloan, Cal! He kicked that guys ass!"

"What?" Callie shook her head in disbelief. She didn't know what to handle first. "How?" How did he get this far without anybody stopping him? She turned to Arizona who was staring back at her bakery with tears in her eyes. Callie suddenly felt guilt creep through her. She knew exactly who did this and it was all her fault. Her girlfriend was just an innocent victim, once again. Callie reached out and turned Arizona away from looking at her shop to get her to focus on her. "Mariposa, I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" The guilt and sorrow all over her girlfriend's face snapped Arizona out of her daze. "You didn't do this."

"No, but I'm the one who pissed him off. He came into my shop a few weeks ago. He said hurtful things towards Joe and George so I kicked him out with a partially down tattoo."

"That is no way your fault." Arizona couldn't believe Callie was actually blaming herself for this.

"Excuse me? Does anyone know who the owners are?" A police officer yelled out.

"Over here!" Arizona called out. The police officer walked over to them and introduced himself.

"I'm Officer Johnson. Can either of you tell me why that man would want to target your businesses?" He listened as Callie told him about what happened a few weeks prior. "I see." He shut the notebook he had been writing in. "We're going to be labeling this as a hate crime. Four other businesses were targeted besides these three. All having either gay owners or known to be gay employees. All having the same homophobic phrase and crude pictures."

"What businesses?" Arizona asked.

"Let's see," He opened his book back up, "Monty's Booksellers, Southridge Restaurant, Pookie's Groomers, and G's Custom Cars."

Arizona could still see the guilt in Callie's eyes. She took both of her hands and forced her to face her. "Babe, this has nothing to do with us, okay?" She cupped one of the brunette's cheeks. "He's the one who should feel guilty. He's the one who will never be happy, because he's so full of hate. Don't let him get to you. We'll clean up the shops and they will look good as new. Okay?"

Callie nodded. She knew Arizona was right. She saw the police officer take the man away in the back of his car. Mark walked over to Arizona and Callie and wrapped his arms around both of them. "Thanks Mark. Cristina told us what you did."

"I'd do it again too of that asshole comes anywhere near here ever again." He looked over Callie's shoulder at their vandalized shop and felt anger flare up in him again. Callie felt him tense up.

"Mark, it's okay. We'll clean it up and go back to normal." Callie said. She could here the murmurs of the crowd around them. She was starting to feel claustrophobic.

"Okay everybody! Shows over!" Cristina yelled out. "Get out of here!" Everybody quickly disappeared, not wanting to piss off the yelling woman more. When everybody left, Arizona unlocked her door, ushering her friends inside. Sometime during the last hour Lexie, Alex, April, Meredith, and George had also shown up to join Callie, Arizona, Mark, and Cristina. News like this spread like wildfire in the small town, even in the middle of the night. The group sat around the tables not knowing what to do or say. Arizona was sitting on Callie's lap on the couch resting her head on her shoulder. It was now two in the morning. The Awesome crew were supposed to be hard at work in two hours. Arizona realized she probably shouldn't open with the shop in the state that it was. She felt Callie sit of straighten beneath her and lifted her head. "Mariposa, look." The brunette pointed out the window. There was a large crowd gathering outside on the sidewalk again. This time they had brought buckets of water, scrub brushes, and cleaner. They watched as total strangers started to scrub the bakery's windows. Arizona stood up to go outside and Callie followed. They saw that there was a group at Evangeline's, Joe's, and Monty's too.

"Guys you really don't have to do this. It's late and I know you'd rather be at home." Arizona told the crowd.

"No, we'd rather be here, doing this."

"Okay, then we'll help." Arizona went to pick up a bucket, but was pulled back by a strong hand. She turned around to see Fred, the owner of the sandwich shop across the street.

"No you guys have have been through enough. Go home."

"We're not going home while you guys clean up our shops." Callie said. She saw the owner of the cafe across the street handing out cups of coffee and gratefully took one.

"Yes, you are." Frank grabbed the coffee out of her hand. "Now go."

Arizona and Callie looked around and saw that everyone was waving them away. Not knowing what else to do, they went back inside. "What's going on?" Mark asked.

"They're making us go home."

"What? I'm not going home. I want to help." Alex said before disappearing outside. When he didn't come back, the rest of them assumed that he was allowed to help. Soon after everyone else left to help, except for Arizona, Callie, Mark, Lexie, and Joe.

"What are we going to do?" Callie asked no one in particular.

"Well, we can hang out here." Arizona absentmindedly stroked Callie's thigh tenderly, comforting both of them. "Or we can go upstairs and try and get some sleep."

Callie placed her hand over the blonde's. "I think I would really like to get some sleep."

"Are you guys going to hang out here?"

"No, I think I'm just going to head home." Joe hugged the women and left to find George.

"You guys are welcome to come upstairs and crash on the pull out." Callie told Mark and Lexie.

"Yeah, Cal. I'd like that." Mark didn't want to go too far from his best friend or shop.

"Thanks Callie." Lexie smiled.

"It's no problem." The two couples got up and slipped out the back door.

"When is this not your apartment anymore?" Mark asked. "Seems like Yang wouldn't want us to keep showing up."

"It's always my apartment. She just lives there. I'll stop staying here once all my stuff is moved out." Callie unlocked her apartment door and pushed it open. She looked around in disgust. Cristina's mess has spilled out from her room in Callie's absence. The four friends stood in the living room awkwardly. "Well, you know where everything is. Goodnight, guys."

"Night, Cal." Mark hugged her and then Arizona. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Momo. I'm not going to let this bring me down."

"That's very mature of you." Mark laughed.

"Yeah, well..." Callie shrugged and smiled for what she felt like the first time in hours. She turned to Arizona. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah." Arizona suddenly felt really exhausted. She let Callie use the bathroom first. They switched places and even though Arizona didn't take long, she found Callie already sleeping on top of the covers. She stood at the end of the bed just watching her girlfriend sleep. Callie's was a very emotional person and her face never failed to tell Arizona exactly what was going on in the brunette's head. Her peaceful sleeping face was in Arizona's top three favorite. Right behind her sex face and the look of pure love Callie gave her when the brunette didn't realize Arizona could see her. She smiled lovingly at her girlfriend and grabbed a blanket from the closet. She spread it over Callie and crawled under next to her, hugging her close.

Arizona tossed and turned for hours before deciding to just get up again. She found her phone and texted her crew to tell them they'd open late today and to sleep in. She glanced at her sleeping girlfriend and sighed. She was always jealous at the way Callie could fall asleep anywhere and anytime. Arizona crept into the kitchen to get some water and noticed Lexie was asleep alone on the sleeper couch. She glanced at the open bathroom door and wondered where Mark could have gone. She seriously doubted he was in Cristina's room. Arizona went back to Callie's room and quietly changed. She wanted to go downstairs and check on her bakery. Careful to to wake up both sleeping brunettes, she quietly snuck out the front door. The sun was just starting to rise and the crisp quiet morning comforted the blonde. She made her way down the stairs and through the alleyway between Evangeline's and her bakery. When she exited the alley, she saw Mark sitting on a bench across the street facing the shops. She crossed the street and stood in front of him. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"No, I'm too angry to sleep. I don't understand why you're not as outraged as me."

Arizona turned around and sat down next to Mark on the bench. She gasped when she looked up at the shops. The windows were clean and all three buildings had a fresh coat of paint. They somehow even managed to replace the glass that had been broken at Evangeline's. They looked as if nothing had ever happened. As if there wasn't just so much hate spread haphazardly across the fronts just hours ago. "Where did they find those shades of paint and glass in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know. It look liked this when I got out here a half hour ago. Everyone was already gone."

"Wow..." Arizona couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes. She was overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in this town and by the way they had pulled together to help.

"I know..."

"This is why."

"What?"

"This is why I can't be angry at that bastard. I know there are people like him in the world, but I also now there are way more better people out there. People who do things like work through the night to make sure we didn't have to see that again. And they got nothing out of it. They did it out of the kindness of there hearts. So no, I'm not mad. I'm grateful."

"I can see why Callie loves you, Blondie." Mark smiled.

"I'm glad she does. It would be unbearable to love her as much as I do and have her not love me back."

"She definitely does. She more than loves you. She adores, cherishes, and worships you. And if I have to sit through even another second of having to listen to how great you are, I'm going to have to vomit."

"I feel the same way." Arizona smiled.

"You better and if you ever hurt her, I'll destroy you."

"I know."

"As long as we're on the same page, Blondie."

"Mark?" Arizona said after a few minutes of silence. "If I wanted to take Callie somewhere, just the two of us, where would you suggest? She's been there for me and has done so much for me, I'd like to do something special for her."

"Her beach house."

"Really?" Arizona was expecting something more complicated.

"She loves it there."

"Do you think you could give her a few days off in a couple of weeks?"

"I'll make it happen."

"Thanks Mark, you're a good friend." Arizona leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think Lexie could get some time off soon? I'd like to surprise her."

"You get Callie off and I'll get Lexie off."

"I like the sound of that." Mark grinned.

Arizona looked up and saw the lecherous grin on his face and punched his arm. "Not like that, perv!" The blonde laughed. "And you will never ever be getting Callie off or I will be the one destroying you."

"Relax, Blondie. She's not interested in me. Not since that one time."

"Excuse me?" Arizona's smile fell. She had to have heard that wrong.

"Um..." Mark coward under the intense glare the blonde had fixed on him. "I'm guessing she hasn't told you that story?"

"No... no she hasn't." Arizona growled. Mark watched as the blonde got up and stormed across the street. He dropped his head in his hands and sighed.

_Shit, Callie is going to kill me. _

* * *

_..._


	34. Chapter 31: Best vacation ever

**I'm experiencing the worst writers block. Gah! **

**This is just a filler before their Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm just trying to get through the holidays here, so we can get to more exciting events in their lives later, whatever those may be :]**

* * *

"Calliope Torres!" Arizona yelled as she came bursting through the apartment door. She made a beeline for the bedroom, not noticing that Callie and Lexie were already up and drinking coffee at the breakfast bar.

"Fuck, what did I do?" Callie asked Lexie. They could tell the blonde was livid about something. Lexie stared wide eyed in the direction Arizona went and shook her head.

"I don't know. You've been with me the whole time."

"Cal, I'm so sorry!" Mark said as he came running through the open front door.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Callie! Where are you?!" Arizona yelled from the back of the apartment.

"Roller Girl! Some people are trying to sleep. Just because you're all sunshiny at the ass crack of dawn doesn't mean the rest of us are. God she's like one of those rooster things, but worse." Cristina walked over and snatched Callie's coffee mug off the counter. She frowned when she saw it was empty.

"Callie!"

"For fucks sake, this place isn't the size of the damn White House! If she's not back there, she's obviously up here!" Cristina yelled.

"You slept with Mark Sloan?! Mark freakin Sloan?!" Arizona finally found Callie sitting on the bar stool looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Your best friend?!"

Lexie spit out the coffee she had just taken a sip of. "What?!"

"And you didn't bother to tell me?!" Arizona was pissed. More about the fact that Mark has seen her girlfriend naked more than anything.

"Alright! It's about time we got some quality lesbian drama up in here." Cristina pulled out one of the bar stools and sat down. She rested her chin in her hands and looked between Arizona and Callie with a grin on her face.

"Mark, what is she talking about?" Lexie asked. She thought they were going to build a future together. There was no way he'd cheat on her. Especially with Callie. She knew how much Callie loved Arizona. Something wasn't adding up.

"Lex, this was like a million years ago and just that once." Mark watched as Lexie's face visibly relaxed. She had

obviously misunderstood and she already knew about that one time.

"Um, babe. You already knew about that." Callie said.

"No, I did not. I would definitely remember hearing about..." She waved her hand between Mark and Callie. She couldn't even say the words.

"About them bumping uglies?" Cristina helpfully finished her sentence.

"Yeah. That." Arizona said flatly.

"But, you did know. Remember the first night we all hung out together as friends? Cris made us play that awful truth or date game."

"Whatever. That was the best night of your life. You're welcome."

"Shut up, Yang." Callie glared at her former roommate before returning her focus back on her girlfriend. "Somehow a truth about everyone's first times came up?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Don't you remember my story?"

"Yeah of course. I remember everything you say, which is why I know you didn't tell me about him."

"What did I say?" Callie knew Arizona wasn't getting it.

"That it was with a guy, it wasn't that great, and it only lasted like five minutes."

"Hey! It was at least fifteen!" Mark interrupted.

"And?" Callie coaxed.

"And that it was the first and last time you were with a man..." Arizona paused and smiled sheepishly. "Oh."

"Sound familiar?" Callie smiled back. She really hoped she wasn't still in trouble.

"Yeah... I think I blocked that detail out from my mind. I still don't like that fact he's seen you naked."

"If it helps, he couldn't figure out my bra, so he gave up on it, so not completely naked."

"Maybe a little..."

"Babe," Callie reached out to grab Arizona's arm and pulled her in closer. "You do know that I never did and never will look at Mark that way, right?"

"I know. It's just the thought of you being with anyone else makes me see red."

"We all have pasts. I remember some pretty interesting stories about yourself from that night, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah..." Arizona blushed bright red. "But your first time is supposed to be special. Why does he get that part of you?" She was starting to feel a little jealous again.

"Would you it rather have been some random hook up with someone I didn't care about or with someone I loved and who respected me and made sure I was okay?" Callie did love Mark, she still does. Just not in that way. They had grown up into a more brother/sister relationship.

"I rather you had been a virgin when we met." Arizona smiled at her lame joke. She was being ridiculous and she knew it.

"You were the first person I made love too." Callie whispered in her ear. "I think that was pretty special. Way more special than whatever Mark and I shared."

"Yeah, it was." Arizona grinned and stepped closer to kiss her girlfriends lips, but was interrupted by a cough.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to need a little more yelling. Maybe even some crying and some slamming of doors."

"Our relationship isn't here to entertain you, Cristina."

"Isn't it?"

"No!" Arizona and Callie said in unison.

"I'm going back to bed." Cristina slid off the stool and went to slam her own bedroom door.

"That's a good idea, let's go back to bed."

"Calliope, I can't. Lexie and I have to work soon."

"Boo." Callie pouted. "Is it wrong that I find jealous Arizona incredibly sexy?"

"Hmmm... nope. I'm okay with that." Arizona pushed her body against Callie's and grazed her hands over her bare thighs. The brunette leaned down and captured her girlfriend's lips in a heated kiss. Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's lower back and deepened the kiss with her tongue. The brunette's hands found their way under Arizona's shirt and she ran her nails softly across her back and down her side. She spread her legs and wrapped them around the blonde's waist before pulling Arizona's shirt off without thinking.

"Um, Cal. We're still here." Mark said. Even though he was in love with Lexie, he was still a guy and he couldn't help but think what they were doing was insanely hot. Especially when Arizona's shirt suddenly came off. Her adverted his eyes and looked at his girlfriend. She was watching them with eyes just as wide as Mark's were.

"Are you sure you have to go to work?" Callie asked when Arizona broke their kiss and started placing open mouthed kisses down her neck. "I want to show you just how special you are."

"I've got twenty minutes."

"I can work with that." Callie smirked.

"Cal!" Mark was afraid they were going to get busy right then and there.

"Bye Mark! Bye Lexie!" Callie said as she pushed Arizona away from her so should could get off the stool. She reattached her lips to her girlfriend as she pushed her backwards down the hallway, bouncing off the walls and door frame.

"I think we're getting kicked out so they can have sex." Mark said dumbly.

"Yeah..." Lexie was still staring at the now empty bar stools.

"You wanna...?" Mark asked hopefully.

"Definitely." Lexie smiled and drug Mark out of the apartment and down to her car.

* * *

Arizona hoped she got everything Callie would want to take on a mini vacation. She was having second thoughts about going to the beach house in the middle of November. She also knew that no matter where they went, they'd just enjoy relaxing alone together. She was looking forward to cuddling up by the fireplace she remembered seeing there on her one and only trip to the house. Arizona had arranged for April to stay at their house to watch over the cats and final details of the kitchen renovation. Not only was she surprising Callie with time off together, but when they got home she would be surprised by their completely finished brand new kitchen. All the appliances had arrived after Callie left for work that afternoon, so she didn't even know they were there. Arizona packed their bags and was going to go Callie-nap her girlfriend from work. Mark had pulled through and arranged for her to have three and a half days off without telling Callie. The two weeks following Halloween were spent moving the rest of Callie's stuff into their house. She was finally completely moved in, so Arizona wanted to celebrate. After double checking to make sure she has everything, she loaded Callie's car up. She ran back inside the house to kiss Tink and Sonny goodbye and to make sure April had everything she would need out and ready. Deciding everything looked good, she locked up and left to get her girl.

"Mark, Arizona is up to something." Callie rolled her chair as close to Mark as she could get. "I know you know what it is."

"How would I know what Blondie is doing? She's your girlfriend, not mine. Shouldn't you be keeping track of her?"

"Mark..." Callie narrowed her eyes at him and raised her eyebrow. "Tell me what she's up to."

"Callie..." Mark mirrored Callie's expression. "I don't know."

"Hmm... you're lying."

"Cal, what makes you think she's up to something?"

"Because she's a horrible liar. Before she left for work, I asked her what she wanted for dinner tonight. She looked at me like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Then she mumbled something about cheese fries and disappeared into the bathroom. Cheese fries, Mark." Callie shuddered at the thought. "Then she barely said a word to me before she left."

"Maybe she's upset with you about something."

"No, definitely not." Callie smirked. She didn't mention that right before the question that turned her girlfriend weird they had engaged in some rare morning sex. No, Arizona was definitely not mad at her. She lost focus as she fiddled with her puzzle piece thinking about perfect how Arizona's looked when it was the only thing she was wearing.

"Stop thinking about sex in front of me."

"I'm not!" Callie punched Mark's leg. "You're mind is just always in the gutter."

"I know your dirty looks, Cal. You can't fool me."

Callie rolled her eyes and checked her watch. "Where the hell is my client? She's half an hour late already." She threw her head back and started to spin around in her chair. Mark looked up to see Arizona approaching the shop.

"Oh I forgot to tell you, she called and cancelled."

Callie abruptly stopped spinning. "What? Why didn't you tell me sooner. I could have been doing other things."

"Sorry, Cal. Looks like someone else is here to see you though."

Callie turned to face the door and smiled when she saw her girlfriend walking in. "Hey! What are you doing here?" She noticed Arizona was dressed in normal clothes and not her uniform. "Didn't you work today?"

"I did for a little bit." Arizona sat down on Callie's lap and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "But I got off early."

"Well you have great timing because I happen to have a few hours free and maybe you can tell me what you're hiding from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Calliope." Arizona and Mark exchanged glances.

"I saw that!" Callie pushed Arizona off her lap. "What are you two plotting?"

Arizona grabbed Callie's hand and pulled her out of the chair. "Say bye to Marky, Calliope."

"Bye? Where are we going?"

"Away."

"Arizona!" Callie was quickly losing her patience.

"We're just going away for a few days."

"But I have to work." Callie turned to look at Mark. "Don't I?"

"Nope!" Arizona smiled. "It's all taken care of."

"Mark, you ass! I knew you were lying."

"Blondie and I had a deal. I couldn't jeopardize that. I trust your end of the deal is taken care of?"

"Of course! I arranged for Lexie to have three days off when I get back."

"Excellent. Thanks Blondie."

"No problem, Marky."

"So where are we going?" Callie asked excitedly. Time off alone with her girlfriend sounded like heaven.

"Beach house okay?"

"It's more than okay!" Callie threw her arms around Arizona. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome." Arizona laughed. "Ready to go."

"So, so ready! Do I need to go home and pack?"

"It's taken care of. I already got groceries too."

"Wow, babe. You thought this through."

"I wanted to do something special for you."

"You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to. Now say bye to Mark."

"Bye Mark! Thanks." Callie gently pushed Arizona towards the door. She was eager to get out of there. She saw her Thunderbird parked out front and cut Arizona off to get to the drivers seat first. "Not uh, I drive."

"Calliope, I've proven that I can handle your baby."

"I know, I just like driving."

"Fine." Arizona walked around to the passenger and got in. She pulled a box out of her bag. "How do you feel about audiobooks?"

"Um... I've never tried them."

"My dad sent me a new one." Arizona held up the CDs. "Interested?"

"I guess we can try it." Callie wasn't so sure. She'd much rather listen to her iPod.

"My family would always listen to books on tape on road trips. It's tradition. You'll like it, I promise." Arizona stuck the first cd in and pressed play. Slow piano music played through the car speakers and a gravely voice of an older man started narrating.

_"Prologue: Only three people were left under the red and white awning of the grease joint: Grady, me, and the fry cook. Grady and I sat at a battered wooden table, each facing a burger on a dented tin plate. The cook was behind the counter, scraping his griddle with the edge of a spatula. He had turned off the fryer some time ago, but the odor of grease lingered..."_

Callie and Arizona were soon immersed in the world of Jacob Jankowski and the Benzini Brothers circus. Before they knew it they were pulling into the driveway of Callie's beach house. They made a silent agreement to wait in the car as they finished the chapter. "See? Makes car trips fly by."

"You were right, of course. How long is that?"

"Eleven hours and a half." Arizona said looking at the back of the box.

"We're going to have to go on longer road trips."

"I'm okay with that." Arizona opened her door when the brunette shut off the car. Callie opened the truck so they could get their suitcase and groceries. The two women carried their stuff in and discarded the stuff on the kitchen counter. Callie spun around and grabbed Arizona by the waist, pulling her close for a kiss.

"Seriously, Mariposa, this is amazing. Thank you." Callie said against the blonde's lips before kissing her again.

"Stop saying thank you." Arizona hugged Callie and stepped back. "So, I know this is your vacation, but I think we'd both like to eat something good. How do you feel about cooking while I start a fire?"

"How about we both start the fire and then you can help me cook."

"Callie..." Arizona was still recovering from the entire bottle of olive oil all over the stove incident. "I'm hopeless."

"Babe, you're not hopeless." Callie placed a lingering kiss on Arizona's temple. "Come on, let's build that fire." The two woman quickly started a fire and moved back to the kitchen together. Callie poked around the fridge and cupboards to see what kind of foods Arizona brought. "How about just something simple tonight? Stir fry over rice?"

"Sounds good to me. What can I do?" She hoped Callie would give her a simple job, like measuring the rice. Measuring she could handle.

"Here," Callie said handing the blonde some various vegetables, a cutting board, and a knife. "Cut these. I'll start on the sauce."

Arizona eyed the intimidating stack of vegetables apprehensively. "Calliope, I-"

"Yes you can." Callie cut her off. She was tired of her girlfriend being hard on herself. "You just need to slow down and focus. Do what feels right. It doesn't have to be gourmet, it's a stir fry." There was no way the blonde could mess this up. If things were uneven, Callie could compensate when she cooked it.

"I don't even know what his is." Arizona said holding up a bundle of leafy green vegetables.

"It's bok choy. Why'd you buy it if you didn't know what it was?"

"It looked interesting." Arizona set the bundle down and picked up a bell pepper. She set it on the cutting board and raised her knife high in the air. "Karate chop!" She said before bringing it down quickly, sending one half of the pepper flying off the cutting board. It managed to stay off the floor. Arizona was making progress.

"Babe, that was a little dramatic, don't you think?" Callie laughed. Arizona even made chopping vegetables look cute.

"You said do what feels right, so I did." Arizona shrugged. She repeated the process until she had massacred the rest of the peppers. "Done."

"What about every thing else?" Callie asked as she searched the cupboards for sugar for her teriyaki sauce.

Arizona frowned and picked up an onion. She's seen Callie do this a million times, she's got this. She carefully cut the top and bottom off and peeled off the skin. Callie turned around and saw the look of concentration on the blondes face. She was biting her bottom lip as she slowly diced the onion. Callie forgot to tell her she didn't want it diced, but sliced. It didn't matter though. She secretly watched Arizona finish with the onion, then move onto the broccoli, egg plant, and squash. She stepped closer to the blonde and kissed her on the cheek. "You're doing great, Mariposa."

"Thanks." Arizona wasn't sure if she should feel like a child learning how to write her letters or if she should feel proud for not causing herself or Callie to bleed. "I think I'm done now."

"Okay, bring them over here." Callie said as she waited for the wok heat up. When it was almost smoking, she told Arizona to throw the onion and peppers in. They landed with a loud sizzling noise, making Arizona grin in delight. Callie stirred as Arizona continued to add ingredients. When they were all in the large pan, Callie dumped her homemade teriyaki sauce in and stirred some more.

"It smells amazing." Arizona inhaled and smiled. Her stomach started to grumble loudly. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"It does." Callie agreed. "Can you grab the snow peas out of the fridge?" Arizona went to the fridge and grabbed the bag. At Callie's okay, she added them into the disarray of colorful veggies already in the wok. The brunette turned off the stove and took the lid of the pan of rice. When she saw it was done she pulled two plates from the cupboard and portioned out their dinner. As she was dishing out the rice, she felt Arizona's arms wrap around her middle and leaned back into her embrace. The blonde rested her cheek on Callie's shoulder and smiled. She very much enjoyed working in the kitchen with her girlfriend. She wished they had the time to do this more often. Since Callie came home from work at around seven, she usually quickly whipped them something up to eat for dinner, so the blonde didn't have to eat too close to when she has to go to sleep. Or Arizona would pick them something up to eat and have it ready by the time Callie got home. She wanted to continue to hold the brunette, but her stomach was fighting her. "Do you want to eat outside?"

"It's getting kind of dark and it's chilly. Are you sure?"

"There are lights and I have heat lamps."

"In that case, definitely." Arizona went to the fridge to get drinks, while Callie grabbed their plates. When they got outside, they were pleased to see that the sun wasn't complete set yet. As Callie turned on the heaters, Arizona walked to the end of the deck and leaned over the railing. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the ocean and listened as the waves crashed into the earth. She heard the call of a lone seagull from somewhere near and wondered where his companions were. When the breeze picked up around her, making her hair tickle her face, she opened her eyes to see Callie next to her and watching her with a loving smile.

"You're beautiful." Callie said quietly. Arizona smiled back and turned her attention to the horizon. The sky was aflame with colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks reflected off the water, giving way to the blues of the impending night sky. She reached out for her girlfriends hand. She couldn't ever remember feeling this close to heaven before. She finally understood why this would be Callie's favorite place. The brunette moved so she was behind Arizona. She rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder and hugged her close. Together they watched the sun disappear completely into the depths of the ocean.

"Wow..." Arizona breathed out. It was the only word she could think of to describe what she just witnessed.

"I know." Callie turned her girlfriend around in her arms. "I used to come here by myself just to watch the sunsets." She leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on the blonde's lips. "I'm so happy you're here with me now."

"Me too." Arizona kissed Callie again. "Our food is probably cold."

"I'm sure it's fine." Callie gestured towards the table where she had set a small heater to keep their food warm. "Come on, I can hear your stomach growling from here." Arizona let Callie lead them to the table and smiled as the brunette pulled the chair out for her. "Mmm..." Callie said after she took a bite of their creation. "We make a good team."

"We really do." Arizona agreed when she tried her food. "In more ways then one." They continued to eat their food in comfortable since, choosing to let the sounds of the ocean absorb them.

* * *

"Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Arizona's small voice pierced threw the silence they had been sitting in over the last hour. Callie looked up from the book she had been reading and saw the blonde was sitting directly in front of the fireplace. She as staring thoughtfully into it. Like she was hoping the dancing flames would reveal her future to her. Callie had been so absorbed in her book that she didn't even notice when Arizona had moved to the floor. She wondered how long she had been there. It was late in the evening the day after they arrived to the beach. They had spent the entire day lounging lazily around the house, watching the ocean and enjoying each others company. They never got bored when they were with each other, even when they had nothing to do. Neither woman had even bothered to get dressed. It Callie's opinion it was the perfect day. She folded down the corner of the page she was on to mark her place, something that always bothered her girlfriend, and set the book on the table in front of her. She got up and moved to sit next to Arizona on the floor, mimicking her actions. She looked into the fire, trying to see what the blonde saw.

"Well," Callie said after a long pause, "I definitely see you in it. I see us living in the same house and married with a kid... maybe two, but no more than that. Unless you want more. We can talk about that later, I guess. I see a cute little puppy driving us crazy because it is impossible for me to say no to a mini Arizona, but we didn't have one yet because with both our businesses and two young kids running around, it wasn't the right time yet. But, I started only taking clients two days a week, so our kids wouldn't be stuck at daycare all the time. I see your parents living right down the street from us, because your mom couldn't stand living so far away from her grandchildren, so she convinced your dad to retire. I see our kids being spoiled rotten by all four grandparents and we will have to step in and tell them to back off. It won't matter though, because they'll just ignore us." Callie stopped talking and continued to look into the fire.

"I think two kids sounds perfect." Arizona said after awhile.

"What about you?" Callie turned her head to look at the blonde's profile. The flames flickering off her creamy skin made her look extra beautiful in this moment. "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"I see pretty much the same thing as you, except I don't think my parents will ever retire. They love the bakery too much. And there is no way I'm waiting that long to get a puppy."

"Honestly, I don't give a crap what I'll be doing in ten years, just as long as you're there. If you decided to quit the bakery business and want to move to another country, I'll be right there with you. Or if you suddenly need to move back to New York, I'll come too."

"I wouldn't change a thing." Arizona turned her head to lock eyes with her girlfriend. "This is me dream, Calliope. _You_ are my dream."

Callie grinned broadly and scooted closer to Arizona. She placed her hands on her cheeks and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. "You're mine too, Mariposa."

"Can we just stay here forever? Never work again? No more early mornings and worrying about supply orders?"

"Well, technically we could, if you really wanted to. I could take care of us for life, but I know you wouldn't be truly happy if you didn't get to walk into your bakery everyday."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. You wouldn't be happy not being able to create art every day either."

"Probably not. I'd like to think you're all I need though."

"We'd probably drive each other crazy sitting around here all day every day. Don't you think that I didn't notice you damaging that beautiful book."

"It's just a plain old paperback! It was meant to look read." Callie laughed. She knew she'd get in trouble for that.

"Where are all the bookmarks I keep bringing you?"

"In my other books." Callie shrugged. Where else would the be?

"Silly me." Arizona chuckled. The brunette never could focus on reading just one book at a time.

"I'll be right back." Callie had an idea. She jumped up and went to the kitchen. She filled a tea kettle up with water and set it on the stove. She took out two mugs and waited. When the water was heated she poured it into the waiting mugs and went back to the fire. She handed both mugs to Arizona and pulled the ottoman closer to the fire so she could lean against it. She sat down and spread her legs so Arizona could sit in between them. "Come here." Callie patted the ground in front of her. Arizona scooted over on her knees and handed her girlfriend one of the mugs back before turning around and settling her back against Callie's front.

"I love hot apple cider, thank you." Arizona grinned down into her mug.

"Me too and you're welcome." Callie reached behind her head to find her book she left on the table. She went back to reading as Arizona stared into the future some more. After an hour, Callie's butt was completely numb from sitting on the hard floor. Arizona had fallen asleep against her and she didn't have the heart to wake her. The blonde stirred when Callie attempted to shift a little. "Hey, beautiful." Callie said when Arizona's eyes drifted open slowly. "Ready for bed?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Arizona sat up and stretched her arms in the air. Who knew spending a whole day doing nothing could make make her so tired? "Are you coming?"

"I'm not that tired, I think I'll stay out here and finish my book."

"Okay, I love you." Arizona leaned in for a goodnight kiss before peeling herself off the floor.

"Love you too." Callie smiled as she watched Arizona retreat to the bedroom. When she got to the door, she refocused her attention back on her book.

Arizona took one last look at her girlfriend before entering the bedroom. The way Callie looked in the dim living room, the fire glowing off her skin, took the blonde's breath away. She smiled slightly to herself and went to crawl into the big warm bed. She drifted off to sleep thinking about mini Calliopes and puppies.

* * *

Arizona was sitting on the large deck with a cup of coffee watching the waves roll in the ocean. It was still very early in the morning and even though she didn't have to work, it was hard for her to sleep in. She wanted to get up early anyway so she could make Callie her special recipe cinnamon rolls for breakfast. She didn't remember the brunette coming to bed last night, but she was there when she woke up. Dead to the world as usual. It was a good thing for once, since Arizona wanted to surprise her with breakfast. She had already made the dough and was waiting for it to rise before she could do the next step. She took a sip of her coffee, hoping it would warm her up a little. The ocean breeze mixed with the chilly November air was sending chills down her body, even with the heaters turned on high. She jumped slightly when she felt warm arms wrap around her from behind. "You're up early."

"I missed you."

"How can you miss me when you were sleeping?"

"I don't know. I just somehow knew you were gone, so I woke up."

"You ruined my surprise." Arizona pouted.

"I can go back to bed if you want."

"No, I want you here. I like you here." Arizona grabbed Callie's arm and pulled her until she was sitting in her lap.

"What's your surprised?"

"Cinnamon rolls."

"Really? From scratch?" Callie knew that was a dumb question as soon as it fell out of her mouth. Arizona just glared at her. "I'm sorry, I got dumb on the brain. I need coffee."

"Here, finish mine." Arizona handed her the half empty mug. "I've already had a cup and I need to go back inside to check on my dough."

"You're the best." Callie grinned as she took a drink of the still warm coffee. She watched Arizona go back inside the house. Callie decided to stay outside and let the blonde work her magic in the kitchen. She has never had homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch and was excited about them. They had to be amazing. Arizona came back out with the coffee pot to refill Callie's mug, gave her a kiss, and went back inside. Callie spent the next forty five minutes sipping her coffee and zoning out at the ocean. It never got old to her, no matter how many times she came here. Before she knew it Arizona was sticking a plate with a frosting covered cinnamon roll in her face, startling her a little. Her mouth instantly began to water at the sweet smell of melted cinnamon sugar and butter. Without even acknowledging her girlfriend and ignoring the fork she was trying to hand her, she picked up the cinnamon roll and took a giant bite. "Oh my god, hot!"

"I just took it out of the oven, what did you expect?"

"I don't care, it's amazing." Callie finished it off in three quick bites.

"You and your big mouth." Arizona laughed.

"You like my big mouth." Callie wiggled her eyebrows at the blonde and jumped up. "I want another one."

"So... since it's kind of coming up soon, what exactly are we doing for Thanksgiving?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Callie hadn't even thought about it yet.

"What do you usually do? I mean, I usually just go to my parents, but since I can't exactly make it out there, I'm wide open."

"I used to go to my parents, until it just got too unbearable, so the past couple of years the Evangeline's crew would get together. Everyone is either orphaned or they don't like their families. But now that I'm rebuilding a relationship with my parents, I'm not sure if we're expected there or not. They haven't said anything to me."

"I say we do the friends thing. Alex and Lexie's families are all in New York, so they'll need somewhere to go too."

"Want to do something at our house?"

"It sounds perfect. If you don't mind, since you'll be doing most of the cooking."

"Mark isn't a pretty good helper in the kitchen, so I wouldn't have to do it alone."

"Then, let's do it!" Arizona smiled. Thanksgiving with just their friends sounded a whole lot better than going to the Torres residence.

"Okay, I'm in. I'll just tell my parents we already have plans we can't change if they say anything. We'll definitely have to go over there for the annual Torres Christmas Eve party."

"Party?"

"Yeah, it's a huge deal. All of my family comes from all over."

"Umm..." Arizona was nervous about meeting all of Callie's family all at once.

"What?"

"That sounds terrifying."

"It is." Callie laughed at the look of doom on Arizona's face. "We'll survive together, I promise."

"I guess so..."

"I know so." Callie finished off her second cinnamon roll. "What do you want to do today?"

"A whole lot of nothing."

"Again?"

"Maybe with less clothes this time?" Arizona suggested before getting up to give Callie a slow and sensual kiss. "Naked Beach House Day?" She smirked when Callie just nodded dumbly at her. "Then what are we waiting for?" Arizona asked. Callie watched as the blonde pulled off her shirt and walked inside the house. She waited two seconds before taking off her own shirt and following her inside.

_Best vacation ever._

* * *

**The book they were listening to is _Water for Elephants_ by Sara Gruen, one of my favorite audiobooks ever.**

**If you have a question or concern and you are a guest. I'm not sure how to answer you if you don't leave me a way to contact you. Maybe I'm missing something?**


	35. Chapter 32: What are you saying?

"Karev, you cover Torres. Lexie you cover Georgie. Mer you got Yang. April take Owen. I'll cover Sloan."

"Boss, are you serious? Sloan is like three times your size. I'll cover him."

"No, they'll be expecting that. Don't worry, I can take him. Be careful with Callie. She's ruthless and doesn't like to lose. Lexie they'll probably pass the ball off to George. He's fast, but you're faster."

"Okay." Lexie grinned.

"Um, Arizona. Owen is huge, he'll run me over." April said apprehensively.

"No he won't. He's too much of a gentleman to hurt a girl."

"I guess..."

"Okay, Team Awesome. We've got this in the bag." Arizona smiled at each of her teammates. Those artists aren't going to know what hit them. Even though practically everyone on the other team was bigger than everyone on her team, she knew her guys could outrun them.

"Why are we even doing this, Cal? I don't do sports. Or dirt. Or anything outside. And it's cold." Cristina whined. "And wet."

"Because Sloan here couldn't keep his big mouth shut." Callie scowled. He should know better than to challenge her girlfriend. Somehow while they were watching football they got into an argument over women in sports. That turned into a football game in their backyard in the drizzling rain. Arizona and Mark decided to make it shop against shop. Losing team has to do closing cleaning duties for the winning shop for a week.

"Blondie was the one who started it, not me."

"Mark, you told her girls can't play football."

"They can't!"

"We can too!" Callie punched Mark in the arm. "And you know it. I've beat your ass on more than one occasion."

"Yeah, but you're not a normal girl, Cal."

"Let's just win this thing so we can go back inside. I have a Thanksgiving feast to prepare for you idiots." Callie had to admit she loved a good competition and getting down and dirty with her girlfriend didn't seem so bad either. "Okay, Karev is their biggest player and I think I've heard him say he played in high school. He's the one to watch out for. We all know Mer is as useless as Yang-"

"Hey!" Cristina tried to be offended, but knew it was true.

"You two just sat in the outfield in that charity softball game against Southridge last year watching the clouds roll bye. And don't even think I didn't notice the flask you were trying to hide in your glove."

"We won, didn't we?" Cristina actually had fun at that game. It might have been the booze though.

"No thanks to you. Now, as I was saying, Mer we don't have to worry about. I'm not sure about April. It seems like she could go either way. I know Lexie is fast. Arizona is also quick on her feet and she does not like to lose. Watch out for dirty tricks from her."

"I'm sure you have some dirty tricks up your sleeve too."

"Of course, Momo." Callie grinned. "All's fair in love and war."

"What's the first play?"

"They're going to expect us to hand off to George, but Mark, you're going to just run the ball. Your legs are longer than Karev's, so you can easily outrun him. Yang, just try and stay out of the way."

"Yeah, yeah." Cristina rolled her eyes. If she would have known she'd be force into another sport, she would have brought her flask. She had to settle on aluminum water bottle she found in Callie's kitchen. At least it had a clip on it, so she was able to clip it onto her belt loop.

"You losers about ready!?" Arizona called from what they had predetermined was the line of scrimmage.

"I don't know, are you?"

"Torres, get your pathetic excuse for a team over here."

"This team will kick you ass, Robbins." Callie stepped up to Arizona and looked down at her, using her height advantage to try and intimate the blonde. "Try not to cry when you lose."

"Psh, I won't lose. I hope you like washing dishes and mopping floors."

"Never going to happen."

"We'll see about that. I'm a Robbins. Robbins have never lost a football game."

"Neither has a Torres."

"Someone's winning streak has to be broken today."

"Too bad it has to be yours. I'll make sure to call your parents and let them know."

"You're hot when you get all competitive." Arizona smiled up at the brunette.

"So are you." Callie leaned down to kiss her girlfriend.

"Hey! She's fraternizing with the enemy. I say that's a forfeit. Can we go back in now?"

"No, Yang!" Callie took a step back from Arizona and signaled for her team to line up. "Okay, this is two hand touch, we play until the first team gets five touchdowns, each team gets three tries to score before the ball switches, Evangeline's goal is that garden hose and Awesome's is the water can behind me. Everyone got it?"

"Yes..." Everyone agreed to the rules. The two teams stepped into position. Callie waited for the signal to snap the ball to Mark. She noticed that Arizona was bouncing around behind Alex on their side of the field.

"Sloan, watch out for Arizona. She's up to something." Callie said as quietly as she could.

"Got it... hut, hut, hut, hut!"

At the fourth count, the play was in action. Before anyone knew what was happening Arizona had Mark flat on his back.

"Penalty! She tackled me!"

"What's the matter, Marky? Can't take it from a girl?" Arizona climbed off of him and held out her hand to help him up.

"I wasn't prepared."

"Sure." Arizona laughed. Even though she was small she knew how to take down anyone. Something she learned from wrestling with her brother growing up. "Let's see how you do next time."

"So we're playing dirty, are we?" Callie asked with a smirk.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No, I just hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

"Bring it, Torres." Arizona smiled sweetly and lined her team back up. "Same plan as before." She whispered. She watched as Cristina walked over the line of scrimmage to had Meredith the water bottle she was attached to. "Off sides! Five yards!"

"Damn it, Yang!" Callie growled. "You better focus. If you lose you're cleaning out grease traps."

"Fine. Jeeze." Cristina took the bottle back and reattached it to her belt. She was going to need a refill soon, especially if the game keeps going like it is. The teams moved the five yards and set up again.

"Hut, hut!" This time Mark was able to advance ten yards before being tackled to the ground again. "You're getting my clothes all muddy!"

"Aw poor Marky. Can't handle a little dirt?" Arizona teased.

"Alright, Blondie you want to get dirty, we'll get dirty." Mark jumped up and stalked towards Callie. "We need a new play. This is our last chance to score. I'll be damned if we get a turn over without scoring."

"Yang." Callie said.

"Excuse me?" Cristina and Mark said at the same time.

"They're watching Mark, George, Owen, and me. They're not even giving you the time of day. They think you're useless."

"So?" Cristina was perfectly fine with not being chased around and thrown in the mud.

"Sooo, as soon as I snap the ball, you're going to walk casually down the field. Owen and I will try to keep Karev and Arizona off Mark as long as possible. When you're far enough away, he'll throw you the ball. Can you at least manage to catch it and run the remaining distance to the goal?"

"I guess." Cristina shrugged.

"Just pretend he's throwing you a bottle of Patron. You don't want to drop that, do you?"

"Can we actually play with a bottle of Patron? I'm not very good at pretend."

"Just score us a point, Yang."

"I guess, I'll try."

"That's all I ask. Okay, play starts at three." Callie led her team back to the line of scrimmage. She could see that Arizona had her eyes on George and smirked. They so had this.

"Hut, hut, hut!" Callie passed the ball to Mark and easily tackled Alex to the ground. She could see Cristina meandering down the field with her bottle to her lips talking to Meredith. She turned and made eye contact with Mark, who nodded and threw the ball. Cristina handed the bottle to Meredith and reached up to snatch the ball out of mid air.

"Oh my god, I caught it!" Cristina said in disbelief. Football wasn't that hard it turns out.

"Cristina, run!" Callie yelled.

Cristina looked up to see Arizona and Lexie barreling towards her at a high rate of speed. "Oh, shit!" She turned around and ran as fast as she could, stopping at the garden hose, breathing heavily. She couldn't remember the last time she actually ran anywhere. Callie let out a loud whoop and ran up to Cristina, picking her up and spinning her around.

"Grey! What the hell was that?!" Arizona yelled at a bewildered Meredith. "Keep your head in the game!"

"Um, Cal. This is weird." Cristina was not a hugger.

"Sorry." Callie put Cristina down and they shifted awkwardly on their feet. "Good job, Yang."

"Thanks." The left side of Cristina's mouth twitched up slightly in a half smile.

"1-0! Evangeline's!" Mark yelled out.

"You just got lucky." Arizona was not happy the other team scored the first point of the game.

"You have the ball now." Callie shoved the ball at Arizona's chest. "What's see what you got."

"Huddle up!" The teams separated and huddled up on opposite sides of the makeshift field.

"I want Arizona." Callie said. "Owen cover Karev. Sloan watch Little Grey. Georgie watch April. Yang cover Mer. Arizona is going to try and run the ball herself. She's too much of a control freak to pass it off, especially at first. You guys just make sure I can get to her."

"Yes ma'am." Mark said with a mock salute.

"Game on!" Arizona yelled. She was sure Callie would be covering her herself, so she had both Alex and Lexie watching the brunette. "Hut, hut, hike!" April snapped her the ball and she easily slipped past Owen, only made it five yards before she was face down in the mud. The body on top of her felt very familiar. "Calliope, get off me."

"I don't wanna." Callie shifted just enough for the blonde to be able to flip over on her back, but not enough for her to get free. "Mud is a good look on you."

Arizona reached her muddy hand up and brushed it across Callie's perfectly clean face. "You too!"

"I can't believe you just did that!"

"Well, believe it baby." Arizona squealed when a handful of mud was smashed into her hair. "Calliope!" She struggled to get out form underneath her girlfriend, but the ground was too slippery.

"What?" Callie asked innocently. The wiggly woman below her in the mud was turning her on. She quickly jumped up and pulled Arizona to her feet. "Come on, I need to beat you so we can eat."

"Not happening, Calliope." Arizona jogged back over to her team. "Good job covering Callie, guys." She said sarcastically.

"She's like seven feet tall! And a lot quicker than she looks!" Lexie said. It also didn't help that Mark distracted her by grabbing her butt. "They don't play fair."

"We just have to match them." Arizona grinned slyly. "Lexie, this is what we're going to do."

"Mark, be extra cautious." Callie watched as Arizona and Lexie whispered to each other and then high fived. "Those two are definitely up to something."

"Cal, have I ever let you down?"

"Yes." Callie joked.

"Don't worry, we got this." They lined up and waited for Team Awesome to join them. After the snap, Lexie ran to the side, Mark close behind her. Just as he was about to catch up to her, she lifted her shirt and flashed him, making both Mark and George stop dead in their tracks. Arizona threw the ball to Lexie and the fast brunette was able to make it to the goal before anyone could recover.

"That is so a penalty!" Callie got up for where both Alex and April had taken her down. "You are not allowed to distract my team with boobs!"

"You distracted mine with tequila!" Arizona yelled back. "1-1!"

Callie scowled and retrieved the ball from Lexie. "Fine, our turn."

An hour later it was pouring down rain and everyone was covered head to toe in mud. The score was tied 4-4 and Team Awesome was in possession of the ball. They were on their last chance to score before having to turn the ball back over to Evangeline's. "Team, this is it. We can win this thing right now if we just focus." Arizona squinted at her team. Five minutes ago the sky opened up and was now releasing buckets of rain. The wind had also picked up and was sending chills through everyone's bodies. The field was now a giant slippery mushy marsh of mud and puddles. They have had three turn overs without scoring a point. Both teams refused to surrender though. They were going to fight this until the very end. Arizona motioned for her team to lean in closer to her. "Okay, here's the plan."

"Whatever you guys do, do not let them score. We fought way too hard in this miserable weather to lose this now." Callie coached her team. She could see the looks of determination on everyone's face, even Cristina's. "I know Arizona is going to pull out her dirtiest trick yet, so we need to be alert."

"What's the plan, Cal?"

"Just pay attention. They think they've won this already. They're going to make a mistake, I know it."

"So basically wait for them to screw up and then take advantage of their screw up?" Cristina liked this plan.

"Exactly." Callie smiled back at her friends. "Let's go win this thing once and for all."

"Ready to lose, Robbins?" Callie taunted her girlfriend.

"No way, babe. I'll let you borrow my Heelys for when you're mopping my bakery. Makes it go a lot faster."

"Ha, in your dreams." Callie balked at the thought of her ever wearing those ridiculous shoes.

"Hut..." Arizona turned her head to make eye contact with her team members. Even if they didn't win, she was proud of how well they all worked and fought hard together. "Hut, hut, hike!"

April handed her the ball and Arizona immediately handed it behind her to Alex. He stepped forward and handed it off to April, before being tackled to the ground by Owen. Callie watched as Lexie took off down the field, George close behind her. April squealed when Callie set her sights on her and passed the ball back to Arizona before the brunette had her on her back. Arizona saw that Mark was closing in on her fast, but she could see Lexie struggling on the ground in the distance. The mud had sucked up her shoes and she couldn't get her feet free. "Shit." Arizona mumbled to herself. Alex was struggling to hold Mark back and now Callie was advancing on her. The blonde looked down field again and saw a wide open Meredith waving her arms at her. Where the hell was Cristina? Deciding it was her only option she drew back her arm threw the ball as hard as she could towards Meredith. Callie tackled her to the ground as soon as the ball was released. Both women jumped up to see where the ball went. George was running quickly towards the waiting Meredith, but he was too far away. Everyone else watched as Cristina came out of nowhere, jumped straight up into the air, and intercepted the ball. She took off running towards the Evangeline goal. Both teams scrambled in the mud to either try and stop her or help her. Cristina was too far ahead of everyone and ran into the goal completely untouched.

"That's how you play football, bitches!" Cristina spiked the ball down in the mud. She looked up to see all her friends staring back at her in shock. "What?"

"What the hell was that, Yang? When did you become a ninja?" Callie finally snapped out of her bewilderment.

"I saw that Arizona misjudged the wind and under threw the ball, so I took advantage of her screw up, like you said." Cristina shrugged. "No big deal."

"No big deal? Cris, that was amazing! We won!" Callie threw her arms in the air in victory and turned to see her scowling girlfriend. "I mean, good game everyone. Let's get inside cleaned up and warm."

"Good game, Calliope." Arizona reached out her hand to shake Callie's in congratulations. Callie laughed and grabbed the blonde's pulling her in for a searing kiss. Arizona snaked her arms around Callie's neck and deepened their kiss. The rain fell heavily around them and they forgot that they were surrounded by all of their friends. A loud clap of thunder startled them out of their bubble and Callie pulled back to smile at Arizona.

"We should get inside." Callie whispered.

"Yeah." Arizona let go of the brunette and went to go inside. She went to their bedroom and pulled out tshirts, pants, and boxers. She didn't think any of this would fit the boys, but it was just until their clothes were dry. She carried the pile downstairs and dropped them on the coffee table. "Okay, we have three showers upstairs and one down here. Callie's already using the one in our bedroom, so that's off limits. There's plenty of hot water and I'm pretty sure each one has soap and clean towels. Put your wet clothes in this basket and I'll put them in the wash."

"Yes, mom." Cristina rolled her eyes.

"You can stay in your muddy clothes if you want, but you won't be sitting on my furniture." Arizona laughed when Cristina immediately started digging through the pile. She picked out a tshirt and pants and took them upstairs to use one of the guest bathrooms.

Callie quickly showered and got dressed in dry clothes. Her skin was still pruney from being out in the rain for so long. It also still tingled from when the hot water hit her cold skin. She exited her bedroom and could hear multiple showers running throughout the house. She made her way down to the kitchen and grinned when when she entered. Arizona had surprised her with the finished product when they had returned home from the beach house. She had been elated to finally see her dream kitchen complete. It still made her grin like a fool when she saw it. It was all stainless steel and dark granite with a red and black color scheme. Something she was surprised Arizona had agreed to. She had a feeling the blonde would have agreed to anything to make her happy. The kitchen now opened up into the large dining room and a new table that sat twelve people. It was already set for Thanksgiving dinner. Arizona had gone with a colorful maple leaf theme and made it look like it was straight out of a magazine. Callie saw that her freshly showered girlfriend was already in the kitchen playing around with pastry dough.

"Calliope, the turkey smells and looks amazing so far."

"Thanks." Callie had put the turkey in earlier that day and now the smell in the kitchen was making their mouths water. "What are you doing?"

"Making maple leaves and pumpkins to put on the pies."

"Ah. Where is everybody?" The house was surprisingly quiet for it being filled with their obnoxious friends.

"Hanging out by the fire. Everyone is pretty exhausted from the game."

"That was fun. We should make it tradition." Arizona nodded and smiled shyly. "What?"

"Nothing... I just like creating new traditions with you."

"Yeah." Callie grinned. "Maybe next year you'll actually win."

"Hey! That was a fluke."

"No, it was pure skill baby."

"Torres!" Mark's voice boomed from the next room. "Need me to come shove some bread crumbs up the turkeys ass?"

"No! I got it covered!" Callie laughed. She kissed Arizona's cheek before getting to work herself. The pair worked together in the spacious kitchen like a well oiled machine. When Arizona was done with her pies, Callie gave her some other tasks to do to help with dinner. Under Callie's guidance and patience, the blonde had finally started to become more comfortable with cooking. They had made sure to cook every dinner together since the got back from vacation. It quickly became both of their favorite parts of the day. Their friends meandered in and out throughout the afternoon to chat and try to steal something to eat. Callie had to slap a lot of hands away from her food. She slid Cristina's Tofurky into one oven and checked the turkey in the other. She was happy Arizona made her get the double oven. It was so much easier to coordinate. After another hour and a half everything was done. They had decided to do it buffet style and left the food on the counter and stove.

"Guys," Arizona found their friends crowded around the large screen watching a football game. "Foods ready." She had to jump out of the way as they stampeded by her so she wouldn't get ran over.

"Callie, that was amazing." Lexie said with a smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Lex." Callie squeezed the blonde's hand she was holding. "Arizona helped me out a lot."

"Roller Girl? I don't believe that for a second. She had a complete meltdown when she just tried to make soup."

"She made the mashed potatoes just fine."

"Seriously?" Cristina looked at the blonde. "Eh they weren't that good."

"Cristina! I saw you eat three helpings."

"They were delicious, Arizona." Owen said. That comment earned him an elbow to his side from his girlfriend.

"Thanks Owen." Arizona picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. She looked around and smiled. The dysfunctional mix of misfits in this room have become her family and she loved every single one of them. Even surly Cristina. She put her glass down and sat back in her chair, silently listening to the banter going on around their dining room table. She laughed quietly at the way Mark was blowing holes threw every one of Cristina's reasons of why she thinks she deserved to have every weekend off. Meredith and Lexie were bickering over who would have to get up early the next day to do a Barbie cake they had on order with an early morning pick up. Owen and April were bonding over their father's military backgrounds while George and Alex discussed the latest ps3 came they were playing their way through together. She wished Joe was here too. He was usually a good time. Apparently Thanksgiving was a popular day at the bar and he liked to give his employees with kids the day off, so he was working. George was going to take him a plate of leftovers soon. Arizona didn't really know Bailey too well yet. She had a family of her own to spend Thanksgiving with though, so she turned down their invitation.

"What are you thinking about?" Callie leaned over and whispered.

"Our friends."

"What about them?"

"That I love being here with them."

"Yeah, today was a good day."

"One of my favorites." Arizona smiled and lifted Callie's hand to her mouth for a kiss. "Happy Thanksgiving."

* * *

"This one!"

"No."

"Okay, this one!"

"No."

"Ooooo, this one!"

"No, it's not tall enough."

"How about this one? It's tall."

"It's full if holes."

"Calliope, come on. I'm beginning to think you don't like any of them."

"Not any of the ones you've picked out so far." Callie left Arizona standing in one row as she started down another. She knew exactly what she was looking for, she just had to find it. It had to be here somewhere. She could feel in her bones that she was getting close.

"Callie!" Arizona called out. Callie seemed to have ditched her for the tenth time that day. The blonde had no idea what she was getting into when she agreed to drive fifty miles away from their house to a place called Apple Hill to pick out a Christmas tree. She had to admit that this places was amazing. She had enjoyed picking apples, drinking hot cider by a bon fire, eating apple donuts and pie, and walking hand in hand with her girlfriend as they shopped at the little farmers market and art stands. But after stopping at every Christmas Tree farm within a ten mile radius, some even twice, she was starting to get burnt out. Arizona should have known better. They spent three days looking for a perfect pumpkin before Halloween. "Callie! Come on. Where are you?!"

"Over here!" Callie called from somewhere deep within the trees.

"That does not help." Arizona muttered. She found an abandoned hay bale and sat down on it, not caring that it was wet. Her new boots were killing her feet. Callie could just come find her. She felt jealous as family after family walked by her with their freshly cut trees.

"Arizona!?" Callie reappeared from a row of trees, smiling widely. "Arizona, I found it!" She pulled the blonde off the hay and excitedly drug her down three rows off trees before coming to an abrupt stop and throwing her arms up. "Ta-da!"

Arizona smiled at how cute Callie was being and looked up at the tree. "Holy crap."

"Right?" Callie grinned wider.

"Calliope, will this even fit in our house?"

"I'll make it fit."

Arizona looked back at the tree. It had to be at least twelve feet tall. It's was a good width for the height and it was sufficiently bushy, without over doing it. "It's perfect, Calliope."

"I'm glad you like it. Where's the saw?"

"I left it at the hay."

"Okay, guard the tree. I'll go get it." Callie ran off towards where she found Arizona a few minutes ago. The blonde stood in front of the tree with her arms out and glared at anyone who even dared to look her way. There was no way she was losing this tree. It world break her girlfriends heart.

"Don't run with the saw!" Arizona yelled she saw Callie running towards her.

"I can handle it, babe. Don't worry." Callie positioned the saw at the base of the tree and started moving it back and forth in swift motions against the thin trunk. When it was almost all the way cut, she pulled out the saw and pushed against with her boot. The tree snapped off its base and fell into the next tree. "Ha!"

"Calliope..." Arizona shook her head and laughed. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, help me." Callie picked up the top of the tree and looked at Arizona expectantly. "Well?"

"We can't carry this!"

"Sure we can." Callie dropped the top and moved to the base. She picked it up and pulled with all her strength and weight. "Okay maybe we need help." She said when the tree didn't budge. Arizona flagged down a passing couple and got them to help them drag the tree to Callie's SUV. The owner of the lot and some helpers were able to lift it on top and Callie went around to tie it down. After they paid, they hopped into the car and settled in for the drive home. Arizona put in the last disc for Water for Elephants and looked at Callie. The brunette was still beaming. She was excited to get home to set up and decorate their new tree. "What?" Callie asked when she caught the blonde staring at her.

"Nothing. I just love you."

"I love you too." Callie pressed play on the steering wheel and the story began to play.

* * *

"Wow."

"I told you."

"Wow."

"We can leave?"

"No we can't."

"I know."

"Where are they going to put all these cars? How are you related to all these people?"

"There's room and my mom and dad both have six siblings. Lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins."

"I don't have to remember them all, do I?" Arizona squirmed in her seat as she fidgeted with her puzzle piece necklace. Her family was tiny compared to Callie's. She really wanted out of the car now, but they were sitting in a very long line of cars leading up to the Torres mansion. She was extremely nervous about meeting Callie's entire family for the first time tonight. At least she would be getting it all over with at once. She was pretty sure most of them didn't even know Callie was gay. Luckily the Torres' invited Mark, who brought Lexie as his date. Along with them Callie, Aria, Dana, and Alexa, she shouldn't be caught alone. She thought about just locking herself in Alexa's playroom with the little girl and playing dress up all night. Now that sounded like fun. Being the surprise girlfriend did not.

"It'll be fine, Mariposa." Callie felt just as nervous as the blonde looked. She had no idea how her family was going to take her relationship. She spent the past Christmas Eve parties hiding in the kitchen with Mark and the catering staff. This year she knew she couldn't get away with that. She really wanted to though. They finally made it to the front of the line and quickly exited the car before the valet parked it with them still in it. Arizona stood at the edge of the driveway and puffed out her cheeks. There were people flowing in around her, all speaking in rapid Spanish. She has completely forgotten about the aspect of this party. Now she felt extra nervous. She felt Callie's hand on her lower back nudge her forward. They started towards the entrance, but were stopped by a squealing woman about their age. Arizona stared wide eyed as the woman and her girlfriend greeted each other excitedly. They exchanged some words the blonde didn't understand and then the woman hurried inside the house.

"Who was that?"

"I have no idea."

"How do you not know?"

"Arizona, there are so many cousins, second cousins, third cousins I haven't seen since we were kids. They have spouses and children. Most I have never met before. It's hard to keep track."

"Oh..." Arizona couldn't imagine not knowing members of her own family.

"Callie! Arizona!" Aria came running up to them as soon as they entered through the front door. "I'm so glad you're here. Dana has been sucked in with the men, Mama has already had a few too many, and all our aunts are driving me crazy with questions about you."

"About me?"

"Yeah, Aunt Francine somehow got wind that you were finally in a serious relationship and of course that old bat told everybody who would listen. Now every two seconds someone is trying to pump me for details about the new man in your life."

"Man? Aria, please tell me you corrected them."

"No way. It's not my job to out you, Calliope."

"I know." Callie sighed. "I don't want you to lie for me either."

"I didn't lie. I just skirted the topic." Aria grabbed the women's hands and pulled them into a large room Arizona hasn't been in before. It was full of family members with a drink in one hand and food in the other. "Do you guys need drinks? I need a drink." Aria wandered off towards the makeshift bar before they could answer. Callie spotted Mark and Lexie hiding in the corner of the room and pointed them out to Arizona. They crept along the wall to get to them without having to talk to anybody.

"Hey guys." Arizona greeted. So far the party wasn't so bad. Callie's family have been ignoring them for the most part. Others were staring curiously.

"Cal, your family is as crazy as ever." Mark had his arm wrapped protectively around his girlfriend. She was sipping on her second glass of almond champagne. All these strangers were intimidating, but the free food and open bar weren't too bad.

"Doesn't surprise me." Callie looked around the room hoping to find some of her favorite cousins. She spotted a few aunts and uncles she'd rather avoid. Aria was soon coming back with a tray full of shot glasses.

"Okay we have to make these disappeared fast. Mother will kill us if she catches us taking shots at her precious party." Aria set the tray on a side table. Arizona and Lexie watched in awe as Callie and Aria downed the entire tray in less than a minute and hid the empty shot glasses in a plant. The tray disappeared under a nearby love seat.

"Not their first time sneaking drinks at one of their parents parties." Mark explained.

"God, we're getting too old for this." Aria said, the alcohol hitting her hard.

"Speak for yourself, Ari." Callie laughed at her swaying sister. "You always were a lightweight."

"Incoming." Mark whispered. Callie looked up to see her cousin, Stephanie coming towards them.

"Calliope! Long time no see." Stephanie hugged Callie. "And Mark, handsome as ever." She looked him up and down, ignoring the woman his arm was wrapped around.

"Hey Steph." Stephanie was definitely not one of Callie's favorites. She had a habit of only hitting on Mark whenever they got together. It didn't help that Mark always flirted back.

"I've been selected to come over here to find out about this new guy Aunt Francine keeps yapping on about." Stephanie pointed behind her at the gathered group of various cousins looking at them from across the room. "She says it's pretty serious."

"It is very serious." Callie blindly reached behind her where Arizona was trying to hide and found the blondes hand. She yanked it until she was standing next to her. "This is my girlfriend, Arizona. Arizona, my cousin Stephanie."

Arizona stuck out her hand to the gaping woman and smiled. "Nice to meet you."

Stephanie smiled back and shook her hand. "Likewise." She turned around to face her waiting cousins and yelled, "Roberto you owe me a hundred bucks!" The group looked at Callie and the stranger next to her. They burst out laughing and started pushing Roberto around. Various "I told you sos, knew it, and she's hot" rang out from the group. Stephanie smirked at Mark, then sauntered back to her cousins.

"What the hell was that?" Arizona asked.

"Those were some of my cousins. It's what they do."

"Guess you're not as secret as you thought, Cals." Mark laughed. "I'm going to need another drink."

"Get us something too please." Callie said. She didn't want to move from her spot yet.

"Callie, Aunt Francine just walked in and she's coming over here."

"Shit." Callie groaned. Her aunt was not shy about asking the uncomfortable questions. Maybe she didn't see her.

"Calliope!" Francine yelled out. "What's this I hear about you bringing a woman as your date?!"

"Um..." Everyone in the room was now looking between Callie and the elder Torres. She watched as her aunt got closer. She put her hands on Arizona's shoulder, hoping to comfort the now stiff blonde. "Yeah, this is Arizona, my girlfriend."

"Hmm..." Francine studied Arizona with a blank expression. Arizona was frozen to the spot. She could tell this woman held a lot of clout in this family. The way she commanded the room showed that. "Does your father know about this?"

"Of course." Callie held her breath. Her aunt was the oldest Torres sibling and what she said was basically law in her family.

"And he's okay with it?"

"Yes..." Callie was confused by this line of questioning. She had expected a lot of yelling. Maybe even some crying. Her dad's side of the family was nowhere near as religious as her mom's, but they were still traditional.

"Lucia is okay with this?"

"Yes."

"Damn, I owe your uncle money." Francine frowned. She thought for sure her brother and his wife would never accept her niece's sexuality. The Torres siblings had been secretly waiting for years for Callie to bring home a woman, just to see Carlos and Lucia blow a fuse.

"Excuse me?"

"Girls!" Lucia yelled out when she saw Callie and Arizona.

"Oh my god." Callie whispered. She could tell her mother was plastered from across the room. She got like this at every party and Lucia was one mean and honest drunk. She made her way across the room unaware of her captive audience. Even tipsy, she oozed elegance and grace.

"When did you get here?" Lucia clumsily hugged both Arizona and Callie at the same time. "I've been waiting for you."

"Lucia, Callie here was just introducing me to her girlfriend." Francine was sure in Lucia's state she would say what she really thought.

"Oh good! Aren't they darling together?" Lucia rested a hand on each of they cheeks and pushed their heads together. "They would have such beautiful babies."

"Mama..." If Callie still had lingering doubts about how her mother felt about them, they were all gone now. "Please let go of our faces."

"My apologies." Lucia smiled and removed her hands. "Have you introduced Arizona to everyone?"

"No, not yet. We were just talking to Aunt Francine."

"Francine, how are you?" Lucia turned her attention to her sister-in-law. "Not spreading anymore rumors about my daughter are you?"

"I did no such thing."

"Not what I heard."

"I'm sorry if I wanted to find out more about my niece. She's been so private over the last ten years."

"You could have just asked me."

"Lucia, we both know you knew just as much as me about what Calliope was up too. I heard it was your fault she was missing in action for so long."

"You know nothing about me, you old croon." Lucia snapped.

"You're still a drunk old bitch, Lucia." Francine spun around and hurried away.

"Where is Mark with our drinks?" Aria asked. He walked up just as she asked and tried to set down the tray of drinks, but the woman got to them before he had a chance. He watched as the drinks disappeared down their throats in record time.

"Marcus Sloan!" Lucia hugged the confused man. "Where is this girl you brought?"

"Umm..." He looked around for Lexie and found her hiding in the corner. He took her hand and pulled her to the group. "This is my girlfriend, Lexie. Lexie, Mama Torres."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Torres."

"She's a bit young for you Marcus." Lucia pinched Lexie's cheek. "Cute little thing, aren't you?"

"Mama!"

"Oh Calliope, shush." Lucia grabbed Arizona and Lexie and pulled them closer to her. "Did you two know that Carlos and I thought for sure Callie and Mark would be married to each other by now? They were inseparable practically their whole lives."

"Umm..." Arizona wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Mama, please. Leave them alone." Callie begged.

"I thought they were meant to be, but I was obviously wrong. My therapist said I need to admit when I'm wrong. I was wrong, Arizona."

"Okay?"

"I was wrong about everything and I admit that." Lucia smiled. "Who's hungry?" She let go of Arizona and Lexie and wandered away to find some food.

"Oh my god." Arizona laughed. "Your mom is so wasted."

"She's old, I don't think you can use the word wasted."

"Sloshed?"

"Better, I guess." Callie sighed. "I guess I should introduce you around now."

"Don't sound so excited about it. I'm not that bad."

"It's not you, it's them." Callie waved her hand around the room. "Want to get this over with now?"

"I guess so." Arizona let Callie lead her around the room. She was introduced to more cousins than the she could count. She could probably recall only a fraction of their names. Most of Callie's family was warm and receptive. They got a few glares and harsh words from some of Lucia's side, but Callie just brushed them off.

"Gaby!" Callie yelled out suddenly. She roughly pulled Arizona across the room. She let go of her hand and eagerly hugged the woman she ran up to.

"Callie! Where the fuck have you been? I've had to suffer through all these parties all by myself."

"I know, I'm sorry." Callie grinned at her favorite cousin. "It's been so long. How have you been?"

"You know. Still making my parent's life a living hell. The usual." Gaby leaned over and smiled at the blonde stranger hiding behind Callie. "I think you have a stalker."

"Oh!" Callie took and step to her left to reveal Arizona. "My girlfriend, Arizona Robbins."

"Hi, I'm Gaby Torres, Callie's favorite."

"Nice to me you, Gaby." Arizona smiled. It was good to see a family member Callie was actually excited to see.

"She's hot, Cal. Who knew you had it in you."

"Shut up!" Callie grinned. "What about you? Are you still with Bryan?"

"Please, I dumped that loser like a year ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm free to have fun now. Speaking of which, I thought I saw your friend Mark earlier."

"And he brought his girlfriend." Mark and her cousin's friends with benefits situation they used to have always weirded Callie out.

"Damn it. There goes that idea." Gaby frowned. "I need a smoke. Want to come?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Jeeze, Cal. You're no fun anymore." Gaby winked at the two women and snuck out a side door.

"She seems fun." Arizona said.

"We used to get into a lot of trouble together."

"Yeah, I bet."

*tap, tap, tap* "Hello! Merry Christmas!"

Callie looked towards that stage where a band was playing earlier and saw that her mother had gotten a hold of the microphone. "This can't be good."

"I just wanted to thank everyone for being here tonight. There's nothing Carlos and I enjoy more than spending time with our family." Lucia smiled at the room as everyone clapped. "I can't believe another year has already gone by. Our beautiful daughters are here." Lucia pointed towards the back of the room where Callie and Aria were blushing bright red. "Aria and Dana are still going strong. We're so happy she has found such a wonderful man to spend her life with. Our pride and joy, Alexa continues to brighten our days. Our Calliope is as beautiful, brilliant, and gifted as always. I don't know where she gets it, since it's certainly doesn't come from anyone in this room." She was interrupted by laughter erupting around the room. "She has brought her partner, Arizona, who I hope you all have the pleasure of meeting before the night is over. Now, Calliope, I'm going to put you on the spot here. I hope that's okay. It has been so long since I have heard your beautiful voice. Will you give your Mama the pleasure of a song?"

Callie stared at her mother with wide eyes. She was not expecting this tonight. "Babe, please?" Arizona asked. She would love more than anything to hear her girlfriend sing again. Callie looked at Arizona's hopeful smile and back to Lucia. She locked eyes with her mother and nodded. She slowly made her way to the stage and took the microphone from Lucia.

"Hi." Callie flinched at her amplified voice. This wasn't the first time she had performed in front of her family. She used to do it often as a teenager. That didn't stop the nervous butterflies from forming in her stomach. "Feel free to join in if you want." The room was completely silent as she sang Silent Night. The song brought tears to Lucia's eyes. When she was finished, Lucia stepped back on the stage and hugged Callie.

"Thank you, Mija. I couldn't have asked for a better gift."

"You're welcome, Mama." Callie hugged her mother back before stepping off the stage.

"Calliope, that was beautiful." Arizona smiled and kissed Callie chastely on her lips. The two women were suddenly surrounded by chattering aunts and cousins. Everyone wanting to meet Arizona and compliment Callie.

"Arizona."

Arizona looked up to see Carlos had entered the room. "Yeah?"

"May I see you in my office, please."

"Sure." Arizona looked around for her girlfriend, but she seemed to have disappeared into a group of her family. Arizona followed Carlos down the hall and into his office. He directed her to sit in the chair in front of his desk. "Did I do something?" She felt like she was just called into the principals office.

"Don't be silly." Carlos sat in his chair and pulled out a little box from his drawer. "I just wanted to talk."

"Okay... about what?"

"Calliope."

"My favorite topic." Arizona smiled.

"I'm not sure how it works with two women, but I will just treat you the same as I treated Dana. Do you plan on marrying my Calliope?"

"One day, yes." Arizona was suddenly nervous. Was Callie's dad really giving her the talk right now?

"That's what I thought." He handed the blonde the box. She opened it to find a modest diamond engagement ring.

"Mr. Torres, you're nice and all, but I'm taken." Arizona joked. "I'm going to have to say no."

"A woman with a sense of humor. I like that." Carlos smiled. "This was the ring I gave Lucia when she agreed to make me the happiest man alive. We were struggling financially at the time and it was all I could afford. That day and the three days my daughters were born were the happiest days of my life. I've since upgraded her rings."

"I think it's pretty." Arizona took it out of the box and slipped it on her finger. She always liked simple better and this ring was perfect. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Lucia and I had always planned on giving it to Calliope when she turned eighteen. It never happened when we lost touched."

"What about Aria?" It made more sense to Arizona that the oldest daughter would get this.

"Aria and Calliope are different. Lucia and I knew Calliope would appreciate it more for what it was."

Arizona nodded. That made total sense to her.

"I thought that maybe you could give it to her instead."

Arizona snapped her head up and locked eyes with the Carlos. She didn't know what to say.

"I don't mean you give it to her now. I'd prefer you wait, actually. I also understand if you would rather pick your own out."

"No, Calliope would love to have this." Arizona took off the ring and placed it back in the box. "I would like to give it to her, but you're right, I'd wait."

"Lucia and I would love to see our daughter wear that ring. It meant a lot to us."

"Thank you for giving it to me." Arizona paused. "Does this mean I have your permission?"

Carlos chuckled. "You don't need to ask my permission. Calliope is her own person and I know you'd always protect and cherish her. We're not having that conversation."

Arizona breathed a sigh of relief and put the box in her pocket. She was glad she chose slacks instead of a dress. "I should probably get back before she notices I'm missing."

"Good luck out there, Arizona. I know our family can be a little much, especially all at once."

"I think I'm doing okay." Arizona smiled and made her way back to the party. She looked around for Callie, but wasn't able to find her.

"Try the tree house."

Arizona spun around to find Gaby directly behind her. "What?"

"When she wanted to hide from us, she'd go to the tree house out back."

"Thanks." Arizona went outside and was assaulted by the freezing cold air. It felt like it could start snowing at any minute. She's never been outside on the Torres property, except for the driveway. Gaby had said outback, so Arizona headed for what she assumed was the backyard. It was too dark to see anything, so she took out her phone and used it to light her way. Once she got to the backyard, she looked around, but didn't see a tree house. She figured it wouldn't be hard to miss. She saw a path leading into the darkness of the trees that lined the property and decided to follow it. Lucky for her it led directly to the biggest tree house she had ever seen high up in the air. "Calliope?" She smiled when she saw her girlfriend poke her head out of the door.

"Hey, I knew you'd find me." Callie grinned. "Come on up." Arizona found the ladder and climbed up the length of the tall tree. She found Callie laying on her back looking up at the ceiling. She laid down next to her and saw that Callie was looking at hundreds of glow in the dark stars.

"This is a great tree house."

"I used to spend a lot of time out here, especially right after Eva died. It's kind of my safe place. I love it. It was more my home then my parent's house was."

"What are you doing out here now?"

"I needed to get away for a minute. I was starting to get overwhelmed. I'm not used to that much attention. Where were you? You disappeared on me."

Arizona stalled for a minute. She could lie or tell the truth. "Your dad wanted to talk to me."

"About what?"

"He told me about how when he asked your mom to marry him, he didn't have a lot of money to buy her a ring. But it didn't matter, he was still the happiest he's ever been."

"Yeah, I know that story." Callie smiled. She loved how in love her parents were, even if they forgot for a little bit.

"He gave me this." Arizona pulled the box out of her pocket and handed it to Callie. "He said to give it to you when we were ready."

Callie sat up and took the box. She gasped when she opened it. "My mama's ring." She took it out and examined it. She used to play with it all the time. Her mother let her use it in all her fake weddings. She smiled at the memories. "He really gave you this?"

"Yup." Arizona sat up and moved closer to the brunette. She knew by the look on Callie's face that accepting the ring from Carlos was the right choice.

"Well, I look forward to the day you give it to me." Callie put the ring in the box and handed it back to the blonde. "When we're ready."

"No, I'm giving it to you now." Arizona took Callie's left hand and slipped the ring on Callie's ring finger. It fit her perfectly. She lifted her hand and kissed the finger with the ring. "It looks good on you."

Callie's heart rate suddenly sky rocketed. "Arizona, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, marry me." It wasn't a question it was more like a demand. Arizona wasn't worried about her saying no. She knew they were meant to be together forever.

"I thought you said you wanted to wait until we were ready." Callie couldn't believe this was happening. Did she fall asleep in the tree house while waiting for Arizona to find her?

"No, I said your dad told me to give it to you when we were ready." Arizona took both of Callie's hands in hers. "And we're ready now. I know it. There is no point in waiting any longer."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes." Callie beamed. Arizona threw her arms in the air and tackled Callie onto her back. She didn't waste any time in giving the brunette a passionate kiss before jumping up suddenly.

"Get up."

"Why, I was liking what we were doing." Callie pouted.

"No, we have to go home."

"Right now?"

"Yes, I want to celebrate having a new fiancee in a way that would not be appropriate around family." Arizona laughed when Callie immediately got up.

"I can't argue with that."

"Should we go in and tell everyone?"

"No way, that would take all night."

"Should we at least tell them we're leaving?"

"They'll figure it out." Callie pulled Arizona towards the door. She smiled as she watched the blonde descend the ladder. She couldn't wait to take her girlfriend home to show her how much she loved her.

_Correction: fiancee _

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**So not to be a total bummer right after the engagement, but there are about 7 more chapters and an epilogue left in this story. Just so you know =]  
**


	36. Chapter 33 Pt 1: Thank you for your love

**I'm sorry, I meant to have this posted sooner, but I got stuck. Then I wrote Hello Stranger and that helped me get unstuck. **

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"If I had known engagement sex was this good, I would have asked you to marry me much sooner." Arizona said when she was finally able to catch her breath. She had just rocked Callie's world and was mighty proud of herself. Her body bounced as Callie laughed beneath her. She smiled at the sound, happy that she was going to get to spend the rest of her life making this amazing woman laugh. She began to use her finger to draw seemingly random patterns over Callie's beating heart.

"Are you writing something?"

"Yup."

"What?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"Why not?"

"Because they are my vows and I want to wait until our wedding day to tell you them." Arizona smiled when she felt Callie's heart began to beat faster at the mention of their wedding.

"I guess I can live with that." Callie concentrated on what the blonde was writing, but could only make out random letters here and there. She was positive she felt an I love you or two in there though. Maybe it was her imagination. Arizona stopped her movements and kissed the spot where she had been writing, sealing it off. She rested her head back on Callie's chest. She could feel the brunette absentmindedly playing with her hair with one hand and softly stroking her back with the other. She could tell Callie was thinking hard about something.

"What are you thinking about?" Arizona tried to keep her voice quiet, but it still seemed loud in the silence of the room.

"About how much my life has changed over the last ten months."

"Ah." Arizona didn't need her to explain further. It was the same for her. She focused in on the dimmed clock on the nightstand and saw it was now past midnight. "Merry Christmas, Calliope."

"It's not Christmas until we wake up."

"But then we'd have to go to sleep first." Arizona wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. She wanted to enjoy just being for awhile longer.

"I don't want to go to sleep yet." Callie opened her eyes and noticed the glow in the room. It was a special kind of glow. The kind that meant something magical was currently happening. "Babe, I think it's snowing."

Arizona looked towards the window. The thin curtains were drawn so she couldn't see outside. "How do you know?"

"You don't see it?"

Arizona frowned. "Um, no?" See what?

Callie wiggled her way out from underneath the blonde and threw open the curtains. Sure enough their property was covered in a fresh layer of undisturbed snow. It was still coming down in large chunks. "See?" She smiled widely. Callie loved it when it snowed. Arizona got out of bed and wrapped her arms around her new fiancée. Their naked bodies fit together perfectly. Together they watched the snow fall for a few minutes.

"Do you want to go downstairs?"

"Sure." Callie grabbed them each a warm fluffy robe to cover themselves up with. She opened the door and let Arizona go out ahead of her. They had left the lights of the Christmas Tree on and the whole house was lit up in an array of color from the sparkly lights. Callie followed Arizona into the kitchen and watched as the blonde pulled out mugs and hot chocolate. She knew Arizona was a firm believer in drinking hot chocolate whenever it snowed. According to her it made it last longer. Callie opened the back door and stepped out onto their covered porch. She stuck her arm out and let a few snowflakes fall onto her hand. She grinned as she watched them melt on contact with her skin. She loved how peaceful and quiet it was when it snowed.

"Hey." Arizona stuck her head outside. "Ho Cho is ready."

"Okay." Callie took another look at their large backyard that was blanketed with snow before going inside. She took the mug Arizona was offering her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"Want to start a fire?" It was probably a little late to be lighting a fire right now, but who cares? It was Christmas.

"Definitely." Callie walked into the living room and set her mug on the table. With practiced skill she had a fire roaring in no time. She plopped herself next to Arizona on the couch and grabbed her mug before tucking her legs underneath her. The blonde turned so she could lean her back against Callie and propped her feet up on the armrest. The silently sipped on their mugs of hot chocolate as the watched the lights dance around the Christmas tree. Between the fire, the blinking lights, the snow falling outside the large windows, and Callie's warm and comfortable body, Arizona could feel herself drifting off to sleep. Callie took the half empty mug out of the blonde's hands before she accidentally spilled it all over herself. She attempted to lean forward to put the mug on the table without waking Arizona.

"Hey, I was drinking that." Arizona's voice was groggy and barely audible.

"You were about to be wearing it."

"I have to finish it or the snow will melt away too fast."

"Fine." Callie replaced the mug in her hands. "Here."

"Thank you." Arizona grinned lazily. "When do we get presents?"

"When we wake up." Callie laughed. Arizona had been bugging her to open presents for two weeks already.

"But it's Christmas now." Arizona pouted.

"Not yet."

"Hmph." Arizona finished off her hot chocolate and leaned over to place it on the coffee table with a loud clank. She leaned back against Callie and stared back at the tree. "This will be the first Christmas where I won't be waking up at my parents house."

"I'm sorry. I know you miss them."

"I do, but this is a pretty good alternative."

"Yeah, it is." Callie smiled. She usually went to Aria's to spend Christmas morning with them, but they decided they wanted to be alone on their first Christmas together.

"I'm anxious to see what my parents are going to think about the present we got them."

"I think they're going to love them." Arizona had taken all of Tim's comic books and had them professionally copied and bound. It had cost them a small fortune to get the heavy package to New York on time for Christmas.

"I hope Tim wouldn't be mad."

"I really don't think he would be, but you knew him better than anybody. So you would know better than me."

"I guess he wouldn't mind." Arizona was more worried about her parents learning about all the stuff her and her brother used to do that they didn't find out about.

Callie reached out and gently coaxed Arizona's head to face her. She leaned in and brushed her lips lightly against the blonde's. Without breaking their kiss, Arizona slowly maneuvered herself so she was straddling Callie's lap. Once she was settled, she deepened the kiss, moaning at the feel of Callie's hands slipping under her robe and resting on her hips. The brunette squeezed her hips and pulled her closer. She glided her tongue smoothly between Arizona's lips, tenderly massaging her the blonde's tongue with her own. Arizona slid her hands between them and untied Callie's robe. She broke their kiss and leaned back a little to give her enough room to push the robe down her tanned shoulders, exposing her fiancées perfect breasts. She resumed their kiss with fervor, grinding herself down in Callie's lap. The brunette hurriedly discarded Arizona's robe on to the floor. She ran her hands along the expanse of the blonde's back, over her shoulders, and onto her breasts. She gave them a squeeze before ripping her lips away from their kiss and placing them around Arizona's already hard nipple. The blonde rested her hands on the back of the couch as she let Callie have time to worship of her chest. Arizona found out early on in their relationship that her fiancee was definitely a boob girl. She could feel the brunette's hands moving down her body towards her center and scooted back on Callie's lap, giving her better access. Callie leaned her head back and locked eyes with desire filled blue ones. She reached her hand up and pulled Arizona's head against hers so their foreheads touched. Their eyes remained locked as Callie moved her hand back down the blonde's body. Arizona shifted so she could spread her legs wider, her knees digging into the couch on either side of the brunette. Callie massaged her way up Arizona's inner thighs, stopping where they met. She ran her thumb lightly across the blonde's mound before dipping it lower, just barely grazing her waiting clit. Arizona was breathing heavily against Callie's mouth. The anticipation of what her fiancée was going to do to her made her heart race. She felt Callie's thumb start to stroke her clit a little harder than she wanted right now. "Calliope, softer." Arizona gasped out. She moaned when the brunette found the perfect pressure.

"Better?"

"Oh yeah..." Arizona slowly rocked her body against her hand. "Mmm... yeah, good."

Callie captured Arizona's lips in a hungry kiss and continued her thumbs light and steady movements. She moaned as Arizona started grinding down wildly against her hand, desperate for more contact. She moved so she could slide her fingers through the blonde's slick folds and slowly entered in and out of her, making Arizona let out a low guttural moan.

"Faster." The blonde whispered against her lips. Callie moved faster and allowed her fiancée to set the rhythm. Arizona bucked her hips as the brunette matched her every movement. Soon gasps and grunts of pleasure filled the air around them as Arizona rode Callie's fingers as she pumped in and out furiously. Callie smiled at the perfect view of her fiancees bouncing breasts. She winced when the blondes finger nails dug deeper into her shoulders, as she held on, not wanting to fall off her lap backwards. Callie's wrist was starting to ache from the awkward angle and her legs were slick with sweat and Arizona's arousal. She pulled out and abruptly stood up with the blonde wrapped around her middle. Without breaking their kiss, she kneeled down and placed her on her back in front of the fireplace. Callie removed her own robe and hovered her body over her fiancées. Arizona's eyes were clamped shut and her chest was rising and falling in a spasmodic rhythm. "Mariposa, look at me."

Arizona opened her eyes to see Callie staring down at her lovingly. She smiled widely and reached up to pull her down for a slow sensual kiss. Callie broke the kiss so she could make her way down Arizona's body. She knew the blonde was close to climax and Callie really wanted her to feel it against her tongue. Without warning, she pushed her tongue roughly through Arizona's wetness. She inwardly grinned at the very well known taste. The blonde's hands flew to Callie's hair and pushed her head down harder against her. Arizona's pants and moans were swallowed up by the large room as Callie used only her talented tongue to bring her to an intense breath stealing orgasm. With her tongue firmly planted on the blonde's clit, Callie stayed in her position between Arizona's legs as she watched her beautiful face contort in pleasure as she rode out her release. Callie drug it out as long as she could, as she listened to the blonde's continuous moans. It was music to Callie's ears. When Arizona started to twitch, she withdrew her tongue, but continued to watch her. With great effort Arizona managed to lift her head just enough to see Callie's big chocolate eyes peeking up at her from between her legs. Even though she couldn't see her mouth, she could tell the brunette was smiling by the sparkle in her eye. "Are you going to come up here and join me or what?"

"I like it down here, actually." Callie's voice vibrating against the blonde's now raw clit made Arizona's body involuntarily jerk. Callie laughed, which made it happen again

"Stop!"

"Sorry." Callie ran her tongue through Arizona's juices one last time and crawled her way back up so she was face to face with her fiancée. She gave her a deep kiss, letting her lover clean her lips and suck on her tongue, before reaching down and grabbing her robe. She spread it out over them like a blanket and cuddled against Arizona's side as close as she could get. She could see that the snow was still falling heavily outside and that the fire was almost out.

"I don't want to get up." Arizona said quietly as she ran her fingers through Callie's hair.

"Me either."

"Te amo, Calliope."

Callie smiled against Arizona's bare skin. "I love you too, Mariposa." She heard Arizona's breathing even out as the fire and Christmas tree lights lulled her to sleep. Callie watched the snow fall outside the window as Arizona unconciously held her close. After awhile, Callie could feel her eyelids starting to get heavy. Deciding not to fight it, she closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

* * *

For maybe the second time over the course of their entire relationship Callie was awake before her partner. The fact that it was Christmas morning made that even more shocking. The fire had gone out sometime in the middle of the night making the temperature in the large open living room plummet. Arizona had a bad habit of stealing whatever covers she had to wrap herself into an impossible to unwrap blonde burrito, leaving Callie to fend for herself. The shivering brunette reluctantly lifted herself off the floor and crawled over to the fireplace. She smiled to herself as she picked up two pieces of firewood. A couple of months ago they had someone come take down a tree that was threatening to fall on their house if a big enough storm hit. Arizona had insisted on chopping the downed tree up herself. Callie had thought Arizona swinging a sledge hammer was hot, but Arizona swinging an axe as she split the logs was downright sexy. Now they had enough wood on hand for at least the next two winters. After the fire was started, Callie went upstairs to get some clothes so she could start breakfast. When she came downstairs again she saw that the Arizona was now sprawled out on her stomach still fast asleep. She kneeled down and smiled as she lightly ran her fingers down Arizona's cheek. She kissed her forehead and stood up to go in the kitchen. Apple cinnamon stuffed french toast made from Arizona's homemade cinnamon swirl bread sounded perfect for Christmas morning breakfast.

Arizona reached her right arm out for her fiancée. When she didn't feel anything she opened her eyes and lifted her head in confusion. She realized where Callie went when she inhaled the mouth watering scent of bacon cooking and heard the clinking of dishes being pulled out of a cupboard. Arizona stretched out her limbs with satisfying pops. Standing up, she pulled on her robe as she padded into the downstairs bathroom. When she came out she could hear Callie singing in the kitchen. Not wanting her to stop, Arizona crept silently towards the door. Callie's back was to her as she moved something around in a pan on the stove. Arizona leaned against the door frame and grinned at the way the brunette was shaking her butt to her song.

"Mixed up and lost, you showed me love at no cost and when nobody else cared, you were there." Callie sang as she scrambled Arizona some eggs. "Down on my luck, you helped my life get unstuck and when the world went away you stayed." Callie danced in her spot as she added a handful of shredded cheese to the eggs. She knew how much Arizona loved her cheese. "Thank you for the good times, thank you for your love, thank you for the joy you've given me. Yeah, yeah thank you." When the eggs were done she picked up the pan and spun around to plate them. She paused when she saw Arizona watching her. She smiled and turned her attention back to the eggs, scooping them out on to a plate. "You fight off my enemies. You'd take a bullet for me and you know I'd do the same for you." She set the pan in the sink and looked back at Arizona. "Cause that's how we roll. Connected at the soul and I just wanted you to know how I feel." She danced her way over the blonde and grabbed her hand.

"Calliope..." Arizona laughed as Callie pulled her closer and started to dance them around the kitchen.

"Thank you for the good times. Thank you for your love. Thank you for the joy you've given me. Yeah, yeah, thank you." Callie kissed Arizona's cheek and smiled brightly. "Thank you for loving me every day. Thank you for showing me the way. Thank you for things that I'd never say." Callie dipped Arizona low and leaned down to kiss her. "Thank you." She stood her back up and released her. She danced her way to the two full plates of food. She picked them up and set them on the breakfast bar where Arizona joined her. When the blonde sat down she leaned over to kiss her. "Merry Christmas, Mariposa."

"Merry Christmas!" Arizona grinned. She looked down at the plate Callie set in front of her. "Wow."

"I may have over done it."

"I can handle it." Arizona stared down at the huge pile of food. She wasn't sure where to even start. Deciding she needed to try the french toast first, she picked up the knife and fork and cut a piece. She made sure she had both the filling and the apple topping on her fork so she could taste the full effect. "Oh my god." She moaned as she chewed.

"Good?"

"Foodgasm good." Arizona eagerly cut another piece and shoved it in her mouth. "Yeah, I'll definitely have no problem finishing this."

"How'd you sleep?" Callie smiled when she tried the french toast. It was foodgasm worthy.

"Surprisingly well. That rug is comfy." Arizona picked up the mug that was in front of her. She was happy to see that it was hot chocolate. She wanted the snow to stick around as long as possible.

"Good."

"I was also surprised that I slept longer than you."

"Somebody stole all my warmth again."

"I can't help what I do in my sleep! At least I don't somehow hog an entire king sized bed."

"That's not my fault!"

"Exactly." Arizona smiled when the light reflected off the diamond on her fiancées ring when she picked up her coffee cup.

"What?" Callie asked as she sipped her coffee. Arizona was looking at her with a goofy smile.

"I don't think I'll ever get enough of seeing you wear that ring, knowing what it represents."

"Yeah..." Callie smiled down at the ring as she spun it around her finger. "I don't even know how to express how happy it makes me."

"We're going to have to tell our parents soon, you know."

"I know." Callie frowned. She couldn't help the nagging feeling that her parents still weren't one hundred percent okay with her being with a woman.

"What's wrong?" Arizona could tell something was bothering her love.

"Nothing." Callie shoved an entire piece of bacon in her mouth.

"Calliope. Your eyes never lie to me, even when your mouth does."

"It's stupid." Callie mumbled through her mouthful of bacon.

"Try me."

"I'm just..." Callie sighed. "I'm just not convinced my parents are really okay with this. Especially my mother."

"Calliope, you wouldn't be wearing that ring if they weren't."

"I know. It's just that after ten years, they did a complete turn around in a short amount of time. It seems too easy."

"Maybe it seemed too easy to you, but you don't know what went on behind the scenes. They obviously were struggling. Your mom did mentioned getting help. It wasn't easy on their end."

"They shouldn't need help. They should have just accepted me from the start because they were supposed to love me no matter what."

"They do love you. Your mother doesn't seem like the type of woman who admits that she needs help and then actually goes out and seeks some."

"No, definitely not."

"But she did it. She did it because she loves you."

"I guess." Callie was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. She decided to change the topic. "What do you think your parents are going to think?" She knew exactly what they'd think.

"My mother is probably going to have a heart attack. Then she'll start asking for grandchildren right away."

"Your mom was born to be a grandma." Callie smiled.

"I think she only had children so they'd have children." Arizona laughed. "My dad will be super excited."

Callie studied Arizona for a minute. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure. I wouldn't lie to you, Calliope." If it made Callie happy, Arizona would gladly put on the stupid white dress and dance her awkward ass off at the ridiculously expensive reception.

"I know." Callie smiled. She finished her breakfast and put the dishes in the sink. She saw that Arizona was squirming in her seat with her hands clasped in her lap and her lips sucked tightly into her mouth. Callie knew the blonde was trying really hard to be patient. It made Callie think of Alexa. "Arizona, do you want to do presents now?"

"Yes!" Arizona jumped off the stool and ran into the living room, not bothering to wait for the brunette. Callie knew the way to the living room all by herself.

Callie was happy to see her fire was still going. Arizona was sitting on the floor by the tree. She had already split up their small pile of presents. The blonde's parents had sent them a box of presents earlier that week and Arizona had wanted to open them right away, but Callie wouldn't let her. There was also one present each from each other. They had agreed not to go present crazy. "Let's save ours for last."

"Okay!" Arizona ripped opened her first present from her parents and found a planner for the upcoming year. Her parents bought one for every member of their family every single year. She rolled her eyes and threw it behind her. Callie opened one of her presents to find a planner that matched Arizona's. The blonde smiled when she saw it. "That means you're officially a Robbins."

"Okay?" Callie set it next to her and watched as Arizona gleefully opened another one. The blonde was as excited as Alexa was on Christmas mornings. "What'd you get?"

"Some more audiobooks from my dad." Arizona held up the boxes to show Callie.

"Oh, cool."

"Here, this one is for both of us." Arizona handed a flat package to Callie. "You can open it."

"Thanks." Callie took it and opened it to find a framed picture of her and Arizona from when the Robbins visited. Callie smiled when she remembered that day. Arizona's parents were amazing people. So much has happened since then. It seemed like so long ago.

"What is it?" Arizona grinned when Callie showed her the picture. She took it and stood up. She walked over to the fireplace and placed it on the mantel. "Perfect." She sat back down and they opened the rest of their gifts. A book of old school tattoos, an italian cookbook, and a sweater for Callie. A book of sugar art, a set of new tips, and a sweater for Arizona.

"Okay, now mine." Callie handed Arizona a flat box. The blonde shook it. It was light and didn't make any sound.

"Is there anything in here?"

"Just open it." Callie laughed when Arizona practically ripped the box in half. "Be careful!"

"Plane tickets?" Arizona read the destination and dates. "We're going to New York? In three days?"

"I thought we could spend New Years there together." It worked out perfectly since they both decided to close their shops between December 28th-January 5th, since it was a slow time for them. A Christmas present to their employees and themselves. It was a pretty standard thing to do and a lot of the shops in downtown would be closed.

"I thought we were waiting to go?"

"You don't like it?" Callie bought the tickets last minute on a whim. She had trouble thinking of the perfect gift without going overboard. Callie would buy the blonde the world if she let her. She thought taking her to see her family and best friend would be perfect.

"No, I do! I really, really do!" Arizona grinned and launched herself into Callie, hugging her tight. She really missed Teddy and her crazy parents. "Thank you!" Arizona kissed Callie and went to get her present for the brunette. She put a similar box that Callie have her on her fiancées lap. "Yes there's something in there."

Callie unwrapped the box and found two envelopes. She opened the first one and frowned. She wasn't sure how to react.

"Okay, I know you don't need cooking classes, but I thought we could do it together. I've really been enjoying spending time with you in the kitchen."

"Me too." Callie smiled at the thoughtful gift. She loved the idea. She went to open the next envelope and grinned wider. It was memberships to all of Callie's favorite art museums within a 100 mile radius. "Babe, thank you."

"You're welcome. I love you. Merry Christmas."

"I love you too." Callie cuddled up to Arizona and looked up at the large Christmas tree. It fit into the room perfectly. She started to laugh when she noticed Sonny and Tinkerbell peeking out at them from within the branches. They came running out to them when she let out a low whistle and jumped into their laps. Together the small family watched as the lights danced around the tree. Both women were thinking that this was the first of many more Christmases to come and that they were off to an amazing start.

* * *

"First class is fun!" Arizona giggled after the steward brought her another glass of wine without her having to even ask. She decided he was her new best friend.

"Babe, you might want to slow down. You want to be coherent when we land. Your parents are picking us up and taking us to our hotel."

"That's in like four hours." Arizona rolled her eyes. Since when was Callie such a party pooper?

"Exactly. We've barely been on the plane for an hour and you've already had three."

"They're small."

"Not really and you don't even usually drink wine."

"This is my Christmas present. I'm going to have fun." Arizona hiccuped. Okay maybe she should slow down. She put her glass down and smiled at Callie. "You're pretty."

"You're drunk." Callie laughed. The blonde's flushed face and droopy eyelids was a sure sign.

"I am not! It's barely noon!"

"You're cute when you get all defensive." Callie leaned over and kissed Arizona's moist lips. "You taste good."

"Hmph." Arizona pouted and sat back in her seat. She looked out of the window. All she saw was a cloudless blue sky. She looked around the plane and scrunched up her face. "I'm bored."

Callie looked up from the magazine she was reading. "There's a tv right in front of you, you have your laptop, you brought a book, and you have more books loaded onto your iPod. How can you be bored?"

"I just am." Arizona shrugged. She finished off her wine and grinned when another one appeared in front of her like magic. Arizona sipped at her drink as she pushed random buttons on the touchscreen in front of her. The options were too overwhelming for her foggy brain right now. "Calliope, help me." She pouted.

Callie rolled her eyes. She knew that wine made her fiancée sleepy, so she'd be out like a light soon enough. "Here, watch that." The brunette picked a nice long movie for her to watch.

"I love this movie!" Arizona bounced in her seat excitedly.

"I know." Callie laughed, but stopped when she looked at the blonde's face. "Why are you crying? It hasn't even really started yet."

"It's just so sad." Arizona sobbed.

"Okay, hold on." Callie stopped the movie and tried to find a happier one.

"I mean they just found each other and then Jack just dies. Right in front of Rose. He was her one true love and they barely had any time together. It's not fair." Arizona sniffed. "I'll never let go, Jack, I'll never let go." She whispered into her glass of wine.

"Okay, no more wine for you." Callie attempted to pry the glass out of her partners fingers. "Babe, let go."

"You jump, I jump, right?" Arizona wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and finished off her drink.

"Right." Callie smiled. "How about you try and take a nap. When you wake up, we'll be there."

"Okay." Arizona leaned her head on Callie's shoulder and fell instantly to sleep.

"Steve," Callie whispered to the steward. When he came over she handed him the now empty glass of wine. "Take this and don't give her anymore. Even when she gives you the dimples and puppy dog eyes. I know she's almost impossible to resist, but you need to stay strong."

"Yes, ma'am." Steve smiled and left the women alone.

When they touched down in New York, Arizona was still asleep. "Arizona, we're here."

"Huh?" Arizona bolted upright and looked around. "I missed the whole flight?"

"Yeah, babe, you did."

"Aw man, I had so much to do. Why'd you let me sleep?" Arizona rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"You were pretty out of it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's go." Callie smiled and pulled the blonde out of her seat.

"Zona! Callie!" Teddy yelled out when she saw her friends coming down the escalator.

"Teds!" Arizona dropped Callie's hand and jumped into her best friend's arms. "What are you doing here? I thought mom and dad were picking us up?"

"I convinced them to let me, but we have to go straight to their house." Teddy released Arizona and turned her sights on the smiling brunette behind her. "Hey Callie. It's good to see you."

"Hi Teddy." Callie returned the dirty blonde's hug. "It's good to see you too."

"What the hell is that?" Teddy grabbed Callie's left hand and gave the brunette a confused look. Callie just shrugged her shoulders.

"What does it look like, Teds?" Arizona grinned.

"It looks like you made a huge decision before consulting your best friend first."

"It kind of just happened. I didn't plan that."

"Well, you're lucky I love Callie." Teddy hugged the two women. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Thanks, Teddy."

"I get to pick out my own dress, right?" Teddy asked.

"What?"

"I'm making myself your maid of honor."

"Of course you are. That's a given."

"What color am I looking for?"

"We haven't got that far yet."

"Your mom is going to have a heart attack."

"I know!" Arizona laughed. "We should go so we can tell her." She headed toward the baggage claim.

"What the hell, Cal?" Teddy whispered when the blonde was out of earshot.

"Trust me, I was just as surprised as you."

"Guys!" Arizona called out. "Come on!"

"Still as bossy as ever, I see." Teddy rolled her eyes.

"She's just excited." Callie laughed as Arizona bounced in her spot. "Let's go before she leaves without us."

"Mom! Dad!" Arizona called when they entered the house she grew up in. "Where are you?" She had expected at least her mom to be waiting on the front porch for them.

"In the kitchen!" Barbara yelled.

"Barbara, it smells amazing in here." Callie said when they entered the kitchen. Barbara was stirring something in a large stock pot and Daniel was tossing croutons into a bowl of salad.

"I thought you girls would want some dinner." Barbara rounded the counter and wrapped her daughter up in a hug. "I've miss you so much, baby girl."

"I've missed you too, Mom." Arizona smiled into her moms embrace. No matter how old she got she still loved her mom's hugs. When her mom released her she went to greet her dad. After a round of hugs for everybody, Arizona, Callie, and Teddy sat at the table and caught up while the older Robbins worked in the kitchen. When dinner was done, they helped carry the dishes to the table.

"So Calliope and I have some news." Arizona grinned across the table at her parents. Daniel and Barbara exchanged unreadable glances, before looking at an expressionless Callie.

"Oh?"

"Calliope, show them."

Callie hesitated a second before presenting her hand to the older Robbins. They just stared at the ring in shock, completely speechless. Then looked up at Callie, confusion written all over their faces.

"You guys don't seem very excited." Arizona frowned. She had expected a lot more squealing from her mother. Or at least a smile.

"We're just surprised, Butterfly. You are usually such a planner. You didn't say anything to us." Daniel said.

"I know, but it just felt like the right moment. I didn't want to pass it up."

"Oh my goodness!" Barbara suddenly jumped out of her chair with such force it fell over backwards. She threw her arms around Callie's neck in a strong hug. "This is so exciting!"

"Mom, don't choke her. I kind of want to keep her around." Arizona laughed.

"I'm sorry, Callie." Barbara said releasing her. "I'm just so happy."

"It's okay, Barbara. I understand."

"When's the date? When can I expect my first grandbaby?" Barbara sat back down on the chair her husband had picked up for her."

"Honey, let them just enjoy being engaged and then married before asking them about children." Daniel smiled at his wife. He knew how long she's waited for this moment.

"I'm sorry."

"We haven't really talked about all of that yet, Mom." Arizona's dad was right. She really wanted to enjoy being engaged for awhile first before doing all the other stuff.

"How about fall?" Callie always wanted a fall wedding. She hoped Arizona agreed.

"We can talk about it later." Arizona took Callie's hand. "Alone."

"Okay." Callie smiled. She couldn't wait.

For the next three days Arizona showed Callie her favorite parts of the city. They went to museums, parks, and art galleries. They even spent one of the days working in the Robbins bakery. Callie had a blast playing with all the equipment and they even let her paint on some cakes with food coloring. Turns out she was pretty good at it. Arizona was happy to be working in the place where she practically grew up again. Every time she looked up from making flowers or frosting a cake, her face broke out in a

huge grin when she saw her love was there with her. Her face was hurting from smiling so much. Even though she'd never give up the life she was creating with Callie in California, she was enjoying being back in her childhood home. She never thought she'd love New York again.

On the evening of New Years Eve Arizona and Callie were in their hotel room getting ready. When Callie was planning this trip she decided to find one close to the Robbins, even though they insisted on them staying at their house. She thought it would be better to have somewhere to be alone. She was right, of course. "Is this dress okay?" Arizona spun around in front of the full length mirror. At the last minute Callie had somehow gotten them into a New Years Eve party at a hotel in Times Square. They'd be able to watch the ball drop without having to be outside in the freezing cold and being sucked into a large crowd. Arizona did that a few times and was over it.

"It's perfect, babe." Callie walked up behind the blonde and placed a kiss on her bare back. The red dress she chose was high in the front, but plunged in the back, showing off her tattoo. She made eye contact with her in the mirror. "You look beautiful."

"So do you." Arizona smiled. The loose fitting black dress Callie was wearing left one shoulder bare. The blonde turned around in her arms and kissed down her partners exposed neck. "You should wear your up hair more. I like it."

"You ready to go?" They were running late, as usual, and Callie was getting anxious.

"Do we have to?" Suddenly staying in their hotel room sounded a hell of a lot more fun then partying with strangers.

"Yes, Teddy and her date are probably already waiting for us."

"She'll get over it." Arizona resumed kissing Callie's neck as she ran her hands down her back and cupped her ass. "Wouldn't you rather stay here and drink cheap champagne alone together. We can watch the ball drop on tv and we wouldn't even have to be dressed to do it."

"Babe, no. I want to go to the party." Callie pushed Arizona off of her. The dejected look the blonde gave her almost made her cave in. Almost. "It'll be fun, I promise."

"Fine. I'm ready, I guess."

"Try to at least look happy." Callie laughed.

"I am happy." Arizona gave her an exaggerated toothy smile. "See."

"Come on, the car is waiting for us." Callie slapped Arizona's butt and nudged her towards the door. She was excited for what their night could hold.

"Now I know how you got us in to this party." Arizona said as she looked up at the luxury hotel. Before she wouldn't have even dreamed about having enough money to stay at a Vega Hotel, but now here she was head over heels in love with the granddaughter of the founder. Life is funny that way.

"Might as well take advantage of the perks every once in awhile." Callie shrugged and led her inside to the elevator.

"I wished you told me that this was the hotel the party was at. I would have worn something different." Any party held here was sure to be as classy and lavish as they come. She was suddenly feeling very inadequate.

"You look fine, Mariposa. I promise." Arizona would make even a garbage bag look good.

"Callie, you may be used to events like this, but I'm not. I don't feel comfortable at all with this."

"Just trust me, okay? It'll be fine." Callie kissed the side of Arizona's head. The elevator opened up to the top floor of the building. Callie took the blonde's hand and walked them to a door at the end of the hall. She used a keycard to open the door, revealing a set of stairs.

"Um, where are we going?"

"To the roof."

"Why?"

"It has the best views." Callie pushed open the door at the top of the stairs. Arizona could see a small group of people in the far corner of the large rooftop deck. She was expecting a much bigger party. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. There were plenty of hiding places up here.

"You're right, this is amazing." Arizona said in awe as she took in the views around them.

"I told you. Let's go get something to drink." Callie was still holding Arizona's hand, so she pulled her towards the party. When they got closer, Arizona stopped so abruptly it yanked Callie backwards.

"Calliope, what are your parents doing here?"

"It is their hotel." Callie grinned waiting for the blonde to register the couple her parents were talking to. Mark had spotted them and gave her a wink.

Arizona squinted her eyes. "Is that..." She looked around and slowly registered that she recognized almost every face at the party. Teddy was there, of course, but so was Alex, Lexie, Mark, Cristina, Owen, Addison, Aria, and Dana. She assumed the strangers were Teddy, Alex, and Addison's dates. "Calliope, what is this?"

"It's a party." Callie pulled on Arizona's arm again. "Come on."

"Oh my god." Arizona didn't budge from her spot. "Are those my parents?" Callie nodded. "In the same small space as your parents?" Callie grinned and nodded again.

"Yo, Cal! Roller girl! Let's get this party started!" Cristina yelled. Callie's mom wouldn't let her eat until the couple got there. At least they let her start drinking. Arizona's overly excited mother was driving her up the wall.

"You flew all our friends and family out here for me?"

"No, they flew themselves out here for us."

"Oh." Arizona was very confused. She loved that she'd be able to bring in the new year with her closest friends. She didn't understand why their parents were there and why they had all kept it a secret. She finally let Callie drag her closer to the group. They were all looking at her like they knew something she didn't. Their creepy all knowing smiles were making her angry. "Callie, what's going on?"

"Come here." Callie led her to the edge of the roof, where they had a perfect view of Times Square. A chilling breeze surrounded them, sending Arizona's blonde curls whipping around her face. Callie locked eyes with Arizona and drew in a deep breath. She ran the back of her finger lightly down the blonde's cheek as they smiled lovingly at each other. "You kind of stole my thunder on this, which is totally okay, by the way." Callie turned around and held out her hand so Mark could give her the little box he brought for her. He nodded his head and gave her an encouraging smile, which Callie appreciated, but didn't need. She wasn't nervous. She was when she first planned this out, since she didn't know if this was the right thing to do or if it was too soon, but when Arizona had given her her ring, she knew they were on the same page. She almost cancelled her plans, but decided the blonde deserved a proposal of her own. She turned back around and grinned at the shocked look on her loves face. Arizona had obviously figured out what was going on. "Mi amor, I knew from the first time you smiled that heart stopping smile at me that you were something special. What I didn't know is that you would soon steal my heart and become my entire world. When I look into your eyes I see our future together. I see a life full of trust, love, and happiness. I see us as the coolest parents a kid could ever ask for, because come on, look at us." Callie grinned at Arizona's sweet laugh. "I see us as little old ladies rocking on the porch of our house watching our grandchildren play. I can see forever in those beautiful eyes." Callie handed the box to Arizona and watched her open it. The blonde gasped when she saw it. "When I had this made, I didn't know you'd be giving me it's twin." The ring wasn't exactly its twin. It had a slightly bigger higher quality diamond and was platinum instead of white gold, but the design concept was the same. "I've always loved how beautiful this ring was without it even having to try. It's simple and elegant. Like you, Mariposa." She took the box back from Arizona and slipped the ring on her finger. "You are my one true love. You are my best friend. You are my missing puzzle piece. You are my soulmate and I am yours." Callie lifted the blonde's hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it. "Be my forever. Be my wife."

Arizona looked into Callie's love filled eyes. Suddenly her parents reaction and the fact Carlos told her to wait made sense. Laughter bubbled out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Um... not exactly the reaction I was expecting." Callie smiled in spite of herself. Arizona's laughter was infectious.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm usually the one with the well thought out plan and long speeches and you're the one who spontaneously blurts things out."

"Yeah..." Callie laughed too. The role reversal was definitley unexpected. She suddenly remembered that they were not alone and glanced up at their waiting friends and family. "You're kind of leaving me hanging here, you know." She whispered.

"I know." Arizona grinned. She stepped closer to Callie and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her down for a kiss so heated it even made Mark blush. She pulled back when she needed to breath and locked eyes with Callie. "Calliope, I'd love to be your wife." It was the easiest non-question anyone has ever asked her.

Even though she already knew what the blonde would say, Callie's heart still soared at the answer. She picked Arizona up and spun her around. She put her back down, cupped her cheeks and pull her close for another passionate kiss. She heard her father clear his throat and tore her lips away. "We should probably go tell them the good news now."

"I guess so." Arizona was perfectly content right here in her fiancées arms. She jerked back when she suddenly realized something. "Does this mean we get more engagement sex tonight?" Callie's laughter offended her. "Calliope, I'm being serious here."

"Yes." Callie laughed again and hugged her tightly.

_Absolutely yes._

* * *

**You guys weren't to happy about this ending, but I feel it's almost time. I am considering a possible sequel after the next project I'm planning, if there is interest. Thank you for all your continued support!**

**The song is MoZella's Thank You without all the lalas. I don't think Callie is a lala kind of girl**.


	37. Chapter 33 Pt 2: Thank you for your love

**I was originally going to do a slight time jump after the last chapter, but then I decided that I wanted to finish off their evening. So, I'm making this a fluffy super short part two of the last chapter that really doesn't progress this story at all. Meaning, this does not count as one of the remaining ones I originally counted. **

* * *

"Can we eat now?!" Cristina yelled at the two women who seem to selfishly think they were the only people on the roof. "Cal! Your mom is trying to starve us over here!" She cowered under the glare the older Torres gave her. "She's cool though!"

"Come on, let's go bring in the New Year together." Callie smiled and took Arizona's hand to lead her to the waiting group. She nodded at everyone as they approached, sending Barbara into a fit of loud happy squeals.

"Daniel! Our baby girl is getting married!" Barbara threw her arms in the air and ran up to the newly engaged for the second time couple. She didn't care she already celebrated this the other night, she was going to do it again. She squeezed them together in a strong hug. "I've never been happier!"

"Mom, you're hurting us." Arizona laughed as her mom bounced them back and forth. She saw her dad come up behind her with a huge grin on his face.

"I'm sorry." Barbara released them and turned her attention to Callie with tears in her eyes. "I'm so happy your going to officially be in our family. I already love you like another daughter. You couldn't be more perfect for our little butterfly."

"I agree, Callie. Our daughter is lucky to have found you. You're an amazing woman." Daniel said proudly. His daughter sure knew how to pick them. He taught her well.

"Thank you guys." Callie glanced over at her beaming fiancée. She felt a strong tug on her heart and tried not to get all teary eyed and mushy. She looked up at her own parents. They were watching their exchange with blank expressions. "Excuse me, I'm going to go talk to my parents." She left Arizona with her still squealing mother and cautiously approached her mother and father.

"Calliope, congratulations." Carlos smiled and gave her a short hug.

"Thank you, Daddy." Callie turned to her mother, who was still watching the Robbins family. "Mama?"

"I got to spend a little alone time with Arizona's mother tonight while we were waiting for you two." Lucia said slowly.

"Okay?" Callie wasn't sure where this was going.

"She told me what you did for them, Calliope." Lucia looked at her daughter and saw her blush. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, Mija."

"I didn't want anyone to know."

"She also told me about what you did for Arizona. She believes you saved her."

"No, she's the one that saved me." Callie looked at Arizona. The smile she was wearing as she talked to her parents made her heart melt. The blonde looked up and locked eyes with Callie. For a second they were all alone on the roof again as everything faded around them. Daniel said something that made Arizona laugh and she broke their eye contact. Callie grinned at the sound of her sweet laughter.

"Barbara is quite the character." Lucia broke Callie out of her thoughts. "I can see where Arizona gets her love of life from."

"She definitely is." Callie laughed. "She's great."

"They seem like a good solid family. You know how important family is."

"I know, Mama."

"I'm happy to welcome them into ours."

"Really?" Callie looked at her mother skeptically.

"Calliope, I wish you would stop doubting me."

"I'm sorry. You have to understand why I do though."

"Unfortunately, I do." Lucia looked back at Arizona. "It's rare for one to find their soulmate in this world. I've found mine in your father. It's obvious Barbara and Daniel were made for each other." She stood up straighter when she saw the Robbins family coming towards them.

"Barbara. Daniel. Ms. Robbins." Carlos greeted with handshakes and a smile. "It seems that I should be welcoming you into the family."

"Thank you, Carlos." Daniel said. "Welcome to ours too." Callie and Arizona exchanged amused glances.

"I was just telling Calliope that I believe her and Arizona are soul mates." Lucia said, earning herself five shocked stares. "Well, we should get the food out before your friend starts a riot." She ignored the looks from her family and waved for the caterer to go ahead and start serving the food.

"Daniel, would you like to join me for a drink? I'd love to pick your brain about small business ownership these days." Carlos led Arizona's dad to a private corner of the deck.

"Lucia, I think we should get planning right away." Barbara said as she grabbed Callie's mother's arm and led her away. "How do you feel about a candy buffet?"

"That's a dangerous combination." Callie said as she watched their mom's walk away. She blinked a few times to make sure she was actually seeing what she thought she was seeing.

"Tell me a about it." Arizona turned to Callie. "That wasn't so bad."

"No, I guess it wasn't."

"Torres! Will you please come over here and tell Yang that I'm your maid of honor, not her!" Mark yelled out.

"Well, Cris does look better in a dress." Callie laughed as her and Arizona joined their friends by the food.

"See, Manwhore. She likes me better." Cristina smirked and finished off her drink. She poked at the various finger foods she piled onto her plate, not knowing where to start.

"She did not say that! And I'm not wearing a dress."

"Mark, of course you will be my best man. Cristina you can be my maid of honor."

"I'm okay with that." Cristina shrugged. "But I'm not wearing pink, purple, pastels, or anything with ruffles. Or heels." Cristina scrunched her face in disgust at the gross slimy thing she put in her mouth and spit it over the edge of the roof. "Or ribbons or bows."

"You really think I'd pick those things?" Callie asked.

"I know you wouldn't. I don't trust Roller Girl though. I know she can talk you into anything with the swipe of her tongue." Cristina picked up some kind of fancy roll thing and shoved it in her mouth and moaned in appreciation. "Your mom sure knows how to throw a party." Amazing food and open bar. That's all she needed.

"Where's Alexa?" Callie asked Aria. "All of her approved caretakers are here."

"We decided it was finally time to hire a nanny." Aria smiled like she had a secret. She didn't want to ruin her sister's engagement night though. "She's downstairs in our room with her, probably sleeping. This didn't seem like an appropriate place for a seven year old." Aria knew how out of hand Callie's friends could get.

"A nanny?" Callie asked in disbelief. "Aria Torres Rodriguez hired a nanny?"

"Yeah. It's not that hard to believe."

"Have you met you?"

"Callie, just drop it."

"Why now? It's been seven years and you were doing just fine."

"I said drop it." Aria snapped.

"Why are you being all weird about it?"

"Why are you?"

"So, Teddy already claimed maid of honor." Arizona interrupted the bickering sisters.

"Damn right, I did!" Teddy put up her fists. "I'll fight anyone who tries to take it from me. Right now." She looked at Lexie. "What to go? You and me, right now."

"Umm..." Lexie stepped slightly behind Mark. "No, you can have it."

Arizona ignored her already inebriated best friend. "Alex, would you do me the honor of being my best man?"

"Dude, seriously?" Alex almost dropped his drink in surprise.

"Yeah dude, you're like a brother to me. You've helped me out a lot and I trust you to always be my second in command. Will you do it?"

"Of course, Boss." Alex gave her a lopsided smile. "We don't have to like hug now or anything do we?"

"No, you're okay." Arizona laughed. Alex went to get more food so the group wouldn't see the grin he was unable to suppress.

"Do you think Alexa will want to be the flower girl?" Callie asked Aria. She hadn't asked Arizona that yet, but she knew it would be okay. She looked at the blonde, who nodded in agreement.

"Are you kidding? She'll get to wear a pretty dress and have everyone's attention focused on her, of course she'll want to. She'll be so excited."

"I kind of want to ask her now." Arizona said looking at Aria.

"Me too." Callie couldn't wait to tell her niece their news.

Aria looked between her sister and the blonde. They were both pleading with her with their eyes. "Oh my god, fine." She slammed down her bottle of water. "I'll be right back." She couldn't believe she was going to wake her daughter up at eleven at night to go to an adult party. She couldn't wait for Callie to have her own kids so she could pay her back for all the things she's exposed her Alexa to.

"I think she's mad." Arizona laughed.

"She'll get over it." Callie wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist and pulled her close. "I love you." She whispered in her ear.

"I love you too." Arizona saw that their moms were deep in conversation. "What do you think they're plotting over there?"

"I don't think I want to know." Callie was surprised when her mom let out a loud boisterous laugh. Apparently Barbara was a hoot. "I don't think I've ever heard my mom laugh out loud like that."

"Now I'm scared." Arizona eyes widened when she saw her mom get up to do her impression of when Arizona jumped off the roof. "Oh my god."

"What?" Callie looked to see Barbara doing the same routine she did for her when she first met her. She couldn't help but laugh. Arizona glared playfully at her.

"I hope your mom has embarrassing stories about you."

"Nope, none."

"I don't belive that for a second. Remind me to ask her later."

"Yeah, right." Callie smiled when she saw Aria walking towards them with a sleeping Alexa in her arms. She was wearing the Tinkerbell pajamas Arizona picked out for her for Christmas. She felt slightly bad for waking the little girl up, but quickly got over it. Aria shifted her daughter so Callie could take her. She didn't even wake up when she transferred arms. Callie and Arizona walked over to one of the outdoor couches that were placed on the roof and sat down together, still not waking Alexa.

"Lex, honey, wake up." Arizona said as she ran her fingers down her cheek.

"Auntie Zona?" Alexa asked without opening her eyes.

"Yeah, baby girl. It's me." Arizona smiled at Callie. "Want to open your eyes?"

"What are you doing at my house?" Alexa slowly opened her eyes and realized who was holding her. "Auntie Callie!" She wrapped her little arms around her neck and hugged her tight. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, Lex, you're not." Callie laughed. "We wanted to ask you something."

"Where are we?" Alexa looked around in confusion. She was definitely not at home in her bed.

"Do you remember flying to New York this morning?"

"Oh yeah. We came on abuelo's plane." Alexa opened her arms wide. "It's really big!" She said with big eyes. "Why are we on the roof?"

"We're having a party."

"I wasn't invited?" Alexa pouted. She loved parties.

"No, I'm sorry, Lex. It's a grown up party."

"Oh yeah. Mommy told me. She made me stay with Miss. Layla. She's my new nanny." Alexa rolled her eyes. She did not need a stupid nanny.

"Do you like Miss. Layla?"

"She's not very fun." Alexa shrugged. "She makes me put away my toys before she'll let me have a snack and she only let's me watch one cartoon a day. One!" She huffed at the unfairness of it all. "How do I choose just one?"

"I'm sure she just wants what's best for you." Callie squeezed her niece. "Arizona and I want to ask you something, okay?"

"Okay." Alexa crawled over to Arizona's lap and looked expectantly at Callie. "I'm ready."

"Remember when I asked you how you felt about making Arizona your auntie for real?" Callie smiled at the confused look on her partners face.

"Yeah. You said you love her more than Cinderella loves her prince." Alexa sighed dreamily. She couldn't wait to meet her prince. "And you were going to ask her to marry you."

"That's right and I did." Callie grinned at her two favorite girls.

* * *

"Who is that in Zona's lap?" Barbara asked Lucia. Her heart about exploded at the site of her daughter's arms wrapped around the little girl.

"Our granddaughter, Alexa." Lucia smiled proudly. "She's our pride and joy."

"She's precious." Barbara's eyes filled with happy tears again.

"She's completely in love with Arizona. Seems your daughter stole both of their hearts."

"I can't wait to have a grandchild of my own."

"It's one of the best things that's ever happened to Carlos and me."

"I can only imagine... I used to think it would never happen. After our son died and Arizona refused to love and be loved. But then Callie came along and changed that."

"Calliope and Arizona are great with Alexa. They're going to make amazing parents."

"You know, from what Callie has told me, I really didn't want to like you. But I'm finding myself liking you more and more, even though you vetoed the candy buffet without even listening to reason."

"I hope she's been telling you that I've been working to mend our relationship." Lucia was embarrassed by her actions and the fact that Barbara knew about them.

"Zona has kept us updated." Barbara looked longingly back at the happy couple and the little girl.

"Do you want to go meet her?" Lucia smiled. She was more than happy to share her granddaughter with this woman.

"I really, really do." Barbara grinned and bolted out of her seat. Lucia shook her head in amusement and followed.

* * *

"I love weddings!" Alexa squealed in delight. "What should I wear?"

"Have you ever even been to a wedding, Lex?" Callie laughed. She was sure she hadn't.

"I've seen them in movies."

"Ah. Silly me." Callie looked at Arizona and gave her the go ahead to ask Alexa their question.

"Alexa," Arizona waited for the little girl to turn and face her. "We were wondering if you would like to be our flower girl?"

"What's a flower girl?"

"You'd get to wear a pretty dress and be in the wedding with us. You throw flower petals on the ground in front of us."

"Can I bring Flip and Flop?"

"No, they need to stay at home. All the people would scare them and they might get sick." Arizona laughed at the names of the little girls cats. She changed them at least twice a week. No names have stuck yet. "Will you do it? Auntie Callie and I really want you to."

"Hmm..." Alexa really liked the sound of it. "Yes!"

"Thank you, baby girl." Arizona hugged her and smiled when she saw her mom quickly approaching them. "Alexa, this is my mommy, Barbara." She said when her mom stopped in front of them. "Mom, this is Aria's daughter, Alexa."

"It's very nice to meet you, Barbara." Alexa stuck out her hand like she always sees the grown ups do.

"It's nice to meet you too, Alexa." Barbara shook the tiny hand and sat down next to Arizona. "You're so polite."

"Abuela!" Alexa yelled when she saw Lucia coming. "Auntie Callie and Auntie Zona are getting married!"

"I know, nieta." Lucia smiled down at her granddaughter. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I came to the party."

"We couldn't wait to tell her our news." Callie explained.

"I'm going to dress up and throw flowers." Alexa told Barbara in excitement.

"That's great, Alexa." Barbara smiled. "You're going to look very pretty."

"I know." Alexa smiled when the adults laughed. She didn't know what was so funny, but she pretended to anyway. She moved her eyes between Barbara and Arizona a few times, as if trying to figure something out. "If abuela is Aunt Callie's mommy and you're Aunt Zona's mommy. Does that make you my abuela too?"

"Uh..." Barbara didn't know how to answer that.

"That's not really how it works, Lex." Arizona said.

"Why not?" It seemed pretty logical to the little girl.

"Because..." Arizona frowned. What would their relationship be?

"You know, Lex. You can call Barbara whatever you want as long as she says it's okay." Callie could tell Arizona was struggling.

"Hmm..." Alexa stared at the older Robbins, considering her options. She already decided she liked her, since she was Arizona's mom and all. She already had an abuela and a nana. "Is grandma okay?" Alexa waited as the adults exchanged unreadable looks. She was starting to think she had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah, that's okay." Barbara finally said. She just met her and she already loved this little girl as her own. She wanted to hug her, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Alexa ended up just hugging her first. Arizona knew that Alexa had just made her mom the happiest woman alive without even knowing it.

"Lex, you should probably go back to bed now." Callie said before her sister came over here to kill her. "We'll come visit you in the morning."

"But, I'm having fun."

"I know. We'll have fun tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay." Alexa yawned. She was really tired.

"Tell everyone goodnight."

"Goodnight everyone." Alexa got off Arizona's lap and gave everyone a hug.

"It was good to meet you, baby girl." Barbara said when she got her hug.

"Hey, Auntie Zona calls me that too."

"I do?" Arizona asked. She didn't even realize she did that. Her mom has called her that her whole life.

"Yeah, you do, babe." Callie laughed. She found it funny she didn't even realize that, even though she does it do often.

"Oh..." Arizona shrugged. "I guess it's just stuck in my brain."

"Hey, guys! The countdown is about to start." Teddy yelled from the edge of the roof. "Get your asses over here now!" She turned to see that Callie and Arizona's mothers and a little girl she didn't know were staring at her. "I mean, please come join us for this happy occasion... please."

"I guess since you're still up, you might as well watch the ball drop. Go find your mommy and daddy." Callie said as she nudged her niece toward her parents. She didn't want her interrupting her new years kiss. She smiled as she watched Alexa skip up to her parents. Dana scooped her up and flipped her upside down, making her giggle uncontrollably. Aria planted kisses all over her face as Dana tickled her stomach.

Callie took Arizona's hand and they joined their friends to watch the ball drop. When the countdown got to five, she turned the blonde around so she could kiss her. "4...3...2..." She leaned over and brushed her lips over Arizona's. She deepened the kiss when the blonde eagerly responded. They wrapped their arms around each other as they poured all their hope and dreams for the upcoming year into that one kiss.

_Happy New Year!_


	38. Chapter 34: I'm not ready for this

**In case you didn't already see, I let you guys talk me into continuing Mystery Caller =]**

**I wrote this at the same time I was writing a paper on social cognition. Every time I finished a page on that, I'd allow myself 500 words on this. It was a pretty good system, except I think both things turned out a bit disjointed.  
**

**I'm going to admit that cried as I wrote this. I have issues. Not a happy cry either, just to warn you.  
**

* * *

"Evangeline's Tattoos and Piercing. What can I do for you?"

"Mark?"

"Blondie?"

"Yeah..."

"Hold on, let me get Cal for you."

"No!"

"No?" Mark could tell something was wrong by the sullen sound of Arizona's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Can you tell Callie to come home?"

"Arizona, what's wrong?"

"She just needs to come home, Mark!" Arizona snapped.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell her."

"Thanks, bye." Arizona hung up before he could say anything else.

"Hey, Cal!" Mark yelled towards the back.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come up here?" Mark asked as he flipped through the appointment book. She only has one more client today and it was something he could do. He'd just have to push back dinner with Lexie. He knew his girlfriend would understand.

"Hold on." Callie picked up the magazine she was looking at and carried it to the front with her. "What do you think about this dress?" She asked, holding it up for Mark to see.

"It's nice. Look, Cal-"

"I don't want 'nice' I want 'can't live without it'" Callie turned a few more pages. "What do you think about red?" Callie waited for an answer, but didn't receive one. "You're right. That would be overkill."

"Callie..."

"Do you think an October wedding will be too cold?" The brunette flipped a few more pages. "I mean, we can find a place inside, but still..." It was already the end of February and Callie was starting to feel like they've accomplished nothing wedding-wise. They chose an October date two weeks before Halloween and that's about it. Arizona and her one year together anniversary was coming up this weekend and she hasn't planned anything for that either. She hated being a procrastinator, but never did anything to change it.

"I think it will be perfect." Mark smiled. When Callie was in wedding mode, it was near impossible to break her out of it.

"Me too." Callie closed her magazine and threw it in the trash. It was a dud. "What did you want?"

"Blondie called and said you need to go home."

"Did she say why?"

"No, but something seemed off."

"Off how?"

"You should probably go and see."

"Okay..." Callie frowned, worry flooding her mind. She went to get her stuff and headed home. When she pulled up to their house, she saw Arizona sitting on the front steps waiting for her. She stood up when Callie got out of the car. Callie hurried over to her and she could see that she's been crying, but was now trying to act strong. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Callie..." Arizona had no idea where to begin. She bit her bottom lip to hold in the sob that was trying to escape.

"Arizona, please tell me. You're scaring me." Callie led them to the new porch swing they just installed the weekend before and sat down.

"I'm sorry." Arizona drew in a deep breath and took Callie's hands. "When I got home from work today I could hear Sonny howling in the kitchen."

"Is he okay?" Callie frowned. Arizona would be devastated if something happened to him. He was barely over a year old.

"Please, let me finish." Arizona tried to gather her thoughts before continuing. "So I called his name and he came running up to me. He was pacing around and mewing frantically. I picked him up, but he clawed his way out my arms and ran back to the kitchen." She held up her arms to show the scratch marks all over them, something Sonny has never done. "I followed him and found... I found..." Arizona paused when she saw Callie's face fall and realization in her eyes. Arizona decided to skip over the details of what she found. "Calliope, I called Addison and she told me to take her down to Eva's right away, so I bundled Tink up and took her down there. The vet did a million tests."

"Where is she? Is she going to be okay?" Callie stood up to go inside the house to comfort her cat.

"Callie, it's not good." Arizona's heart broke when she saw the pain on Callie's face. She stood up and wrapped her arms around Callie, but the brunette wiggled out if her embrace.

"Where is she?!" Callie yelled louder than she meant to. "Arizona, where is she?"

"She's still at Eva's."

"You left her there all alone?" Callie said angrily.

"No! Addison promised not to leave her side. They're keeping her comfortable until you make a decision."

"A decision about what?"

"They found a large malignant tumor in her abdomen."

"Okay, well... they have surgery and chemo for that now."

"Babe..." Arizona hated to be the one who had to point out the cold hard facts, but she also knew it has to come from her and no one else. "They can do those things, but it's an aggressive tumor. She's so weak and old already. Treatment at this point would just prolong her suffering."

"How..." Callie wasn't understanding how it could be that bad so fast. Tinkerbell was getting old, so Callie had been expecting her health to start declining, but not this fast. She thought about Tinkerbell's behavior over the past few weeks. She was slowing down and eating less, but Callie had figured it was just because of her age. "This is my fault, I should have taken her in sooner. I should have seen it."

"No, Callie, no. There is no way we could have predicted this. Tink never showed any sign of being sick or in pain." Not until Arizona came home and found her surrounded by vomit and bloody diarrhea.

"I want to see her." Callie refused to believe there was anything wrong until she saw it for herself.

"Okay, they're waiting for us." Arizona took her hand and headed for the car.

"Wait!" Callie let go of her hand and ran inside the house. She came back out with Tinkerbell's favorite blanket and toys. "Okay." They got into Callie's Thunderbird and Arizona drove them to Eva's. When they got there, Callie bolted out of the car and ran inside, before Arizona could even shut off the engine. The blonde grabbed the forgotten blanket and toys and took a few deep breaths. She knew Callie wasn't ready for this, but she'd be there for her every step of the way.

When Callie got to the room she knew they put families in when they were about to say goodbye to their animals, she stopped short in the doorway. Addison had Tinkerbell wrapped in a blanket and was stroking her fur as she held her on her lap. She looked up when she heard the door open. "Callie, I'm so sorry."

Callie shook her head and entered the room. Addison got up from the couch to hand her the bundle. "She looks so peaceful." Callie said as she scratched under Tinkerbell's chin in the spot she knew she loved. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she thought she felt her purring.

"We gave her some pain meds, so she's not in any pain right now. She's just sleeping." Addison watched as Callie sat down and hugged the cat close. When Arizona came into the room, she sat next to the brunette and wrapped her arm around her waist.

"Are you going to be the one to do it?" Callie asked Addison.

"If you want me to."

"Yes. I don't trust anyone else to."

"Just come get me when you're ready." Addison slipped out of the door to give them some privacy. Arizona watched as Callie took her time running her finger over Tinkerbell's face and fur. It was like she was trying to memorize her.

"I'm not ready for this." Callie whispered. She smiled when Tinkerbell opened her eyes and looked at her. "She's awake. Hi baby." She cooed scratched under her chin again. This time she knew for sure she was purring. "She seems fine right now."

"Calliope, you didn't see it. She was in so much pain and she couldn't even move by herself." Arizona was glad that Callie wasn't the one who discovered her, it was awful.

"I know..." Callie didn't want to accept the truth. She just wanted to sit here and cuddle her kitty. Tinkerbell let out a small content sigh and closed her eyes again. Callie smiled at how cute it was. "When I was ten, I found her in a bush on the side of the street when she was a kitten. She was a tiny little fluff ball and so soft. She never really did lose her softness." Callie said as she ran her hand down her side. "Even though I knew my mother would throw a fit, I brought her home to surprise Eva. I hid her in my room for three days before the maid discovered her. Daddy would never say no to his girls, so he convinced my mother to let me keep her. She's been with me ever since." Callie smiled. "I've had her for seventeen years? Is that right? That seems so crazy to me. So much has happened in those years. She was always there though. She never judged me. She still loved me no matter what, as long as I fed her and had unlimited treats." Arizona didn't know what to say, so she just continued to hold Callie close. She used her free hand to pet Tinkerbell's head. "She really liked you."

"Did she tell you that?" Arizona smiled.

"No, I could just tell." Callie didn't say anything for twenty minutes as she stared down at the sleeping cat. "I don't know what I'm going to do when I come home and she's not there to greet me."

"Calliope, you gave her the best life a cat could ask for."

"I did kind of spoil her." Callie grinned. Tinkerbell deserved it though. She heard her cat sigh again. She still wasn't ready, she'd never be ready, but she knew it was time. "Can you get Addy?"

"Yeah." Arizona kissed Callie's cheek and let the room. Addison was standing right outside the door waiting. "She's ready." Addison nodded and they re-entered the room.

"Cal, are you sure this is your decision?"

"Yes." Callie knew it was the best for Tinkerbell, even if she wanted to keep her alive even for a little longer. She knew that was just her being selfish. "Can I hold her when you do it?"

"Yeah, you can hold her." Addison smiled sadly.

"Okay..." Callie looked down at Tinkerbell. "I'm so sorry, baby. I love you, Tinks." She looked back at Addison and nodded her head. She knew what the process was. She's seen in a million times here. The fact it was her own baby this time hasn't really registered yet. She felt Arizona sit down next to her and her arm wrap around her back again. She watched as Addison got everything ready. Her back was to them, so they couldn't see what she was doing.

"Okay, Cal. I know you know the drill, but I can explain it to you again if you want."

"No, it's okay." Callie watched as she shaved the hair off Tinkerbell's leg. Addison looked up at her for an okay to go ahead and got a nod from the brunette. She glanced at Arizona before taking a deep breath and inserting the needle. Callie's heart wrenched when she saw the needle go in and she slammed her eyelids shut.

"It's gone, Callie." Addison said after she disposed of the needle and supplies. She bent down and kissed Callie's forehead before leaving the room again. Callie only felt numb as she waited for Tinkerbell's breathing to slow and her body to go limp. It didn't take long. She kissed her cats head and handed her to Arizona. She got up and slipped out of the room. She didn't want to be there anymore. Addison watched as she disappeared down the hallway and went back into the room to find Arizona crying over Tinkerbell's body. "Here, I'll take her." Addison took the cat, her blanket, and her toys. She put them down on the table and checked her heart to make sure she was really gone. "Are you going to cremate her? Bury her?"

"I'm not sure what Calliope wants to do." Arizona sniffed and got up. "I'll got find her."

"Try the kitten room. They always make her happy."

"Thanks, Addison." Arizona smiled and left the room. Addison was right, she found her fiancée standing in the kitten room staring out of the window at the rain falling outside. "Calliope?"

"Yeah?" Callie turned to face the blonde. Arizona was surprised to see that she looked fine, even though she knew the opposite to be true.

"Addy wants to know what you want to do with Tinks."

"I want to take her home and bury her under that big oak tree."

"That sounds perfect." Arizona smiled. "I'll go tell her."

"Thanks." Callie turned back to the window and watched as raindrops meandered down the glass. She couldn't make herself fell anything right now.

Addison wrapped Tinkerbell in her blanket and placed her in a box. She added her toys and some flowers. She sealed off the box and wrapped a purple ribbon around it. She gave it to Arizona. "Take care of our girl, okay?"

"I will." Arizona brought the box to the car and placed it in the back seat. She went back inside to find Callie to take her home. She was exactly where she left her. "Ready to go home?"

Callie nodded and took Arizona's offered hand. When she got to the car she saw the box in the back seat and climbed in the back with it. Arizona got into the driver's seat and watched Callie in the rear view mirror as she drove home. The brunette never took her eyes off of the box. When she parked she quickly jumped out and opened the back door for Callie to get out. She watched as she went to the garage and got a shovel. The brunette headed straight for the tree and began to dig a hole. Arizona carefully grabbed the box from the back seat and slowly approached Callie. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I want to do it." Callie's flat and emotionless voice made Arizona frown.

"Okay." Arizona held onto Tinkerbell and leaned against the tree. The rain was pouring down around them and their clothes were already soaked through. Neither woman noticed though. When the hole was deep enough Callie looked up at the waiting blonde. She shook her head no when Arizona tried to hand her the box. She didn't want to touch it. Arizona understood and moved to gently place it in the large hole the brunette created. They both stared down at it as rain started to fill it with water. Callie took a deep breath and started to replace the mud with her shovel. When she was done she threw the shovel as far as she could and knelt down in the mud in front of the pile of dirt. Arizona knelt down beside her and watched Callie's face as the brunette struggled to contain her emotions. "Baby, it's okay to cry now. It's only us here."

"It's silly." Callie shook her head. "She was a cat."

"Calliope, she wasn't just a cat. She was your family. She was our family." Arizona saw Callie's face begin to crumble and scooped her up in her arms. "Let it out, it's okay." Arizona's heart broke all over again when Callie clung onto her and finally let herself unleash her flood of tears. Arizona fell back into the mud onto her butt as she let the brunette ride out her emotions. She stared at the spot where Tinkerbell will spend forever as she listened to the rain pound the ground around them mixed with the sound of Callie's sobs.

* * *

"Hey, you're home!" Callie jumped up from the floor where she had spread out pictures of different floral arrangements, catering displays, and bridesmaids dresses. She threw her arms around her fiancée's neck and buried her face in her hair. "I missed you." Callie whispered as she breathed in the familiar calming scent that is Arizona.

"I missed you too. That's why I came home early." Arizona looked over Callie's shoulder to see the mess all over her living room floor. "What are you up to?"

"Wedding stuff." Callie released her hold on Arizona and looked back at the menacing piles.

"You don't seem too happy about it."

"There's just so much to go through and so many decisions to be made. It's kind of overwhelming."

"Why didn't you wait for me to help you?"

"I didn't think you would care."

"Of course I care. It's my wedding too, you know."

"I know. I just didn't want you to have to stress out too much about it, since you didn't want to do it in the first place."

"I do want to do this, Calliope. I'm allowed to change my mind."

"I know..." Callie looked back at the stuff on the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that all that stuff I fantasized when I was a kid, isn't really doing it for me now."

"I thought this was one of your dreams?"

"It is, it just changed. Now marrying you is my dream and the big huge white wedding isn't really you and it isn't me anymore either. I thought it was, but after looking through all this crap, I'm just not feeling it."

"Maybe you're just having an off day?"

"I don't think so..." Callie moved to lay down on her back on the couch. She opened her arms, silently asking for Arizona to join her.

"So... what? You don't what a wedding?" Arizona settled herself in the brunette's arms and rested her head on her chest.

"I do! I really, really do!"

"I'm not understanding you here, babe."

"What if we do something not so fancy. Keep it low key. I think we'd both enjoy ourselves better." Callie said as she lightly scratched Arizona's back through her shirt

"You're not just saying this to make me happy?"

"No, I promise. This is what I want too."

"What are you thinking?"

"What if we do it at my parents house? They have plenty of space and we can get married looking over the mountains." Callie waited as Arizona thought it over.

"That actually sounds perfect." Arizona grinned. They other places they were looking at has made her feel uncomfortable when they walked it. She loved the Torres property. It was sure to be beautiful in the fall too.

"Great! Because I kind of already asked my mother and she was thrilled about having it there. I don't think we can get the idea out of her head now if we wanted to."

"Is she going to let me have my cotton candy machine? Because you promised!"

"I'll sneak it in my dress of I have to." Callie laughed. She took the hair band out of Arizona's hair, so she could run her fingers through it. "I think Sonny has finally accepted that Tinks isn't here anymore." Sonny had spent the four days after Tinkerbell left wandering around the house meowing and looking for her.

"Oh?" Arizona lifted her head so she could see Callie's face. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. I have my moments, but I've finally stopped getting two treats out instead of one." Callie smiled. "I'll be okay."

"Good." Arizona put her head back down again. "So, I've been thinking."

"Uh oh." Callie laughed when Arizona smacked her shoulder. "I'm sorry, what have you been thinking about?"

"Well, you know what tomorrow is."

"Of course." Callie grinned. Tomorrow marks the day Arizona agreed to be her girlfriend a year ago. "I could never forget that."

"I was thinking maybe we could get those tattoos we talked about." Arizona felt Callie's movements stop and was worried it was too soon. "Or we can wait."

"No, Mariposa. I think that's a perfect idea."

"You do?"

"I'll ask Mark if he has a spot for me and I can do yours." Callie didn't have anything scheduled since it was their anniversary.

"I already took care of it. I stopped by there before I came home."

"You still want calla lilies?"

"Yup."

"Let's draw it now!" Callie pushed Arizona off of her and went upstairs to their art room to get a sketchbook and pencils. She sat back on the couch next to the blonde and opened the book. "How big do you want it? Where are you putting it? What color?"

"I was thinking of putting it on my side, that way you can blend it in the go with my back."

"Yeah, I can definitely do that." Callie began to sketch the flower. "So, blue or purple would probably look best."

"Blue... no, both!"

"Both it is. Stand up for a second." Arizona stood up and Callie lifted up her shirt.

"Hey! You should warn a girl before violating her." Arizona slapped her hand away.

"I'm trying to do something here." Callie grinned and lifted her shirt up again. She used her other hand to measure the space. "How about from here to here?" Callie asked as she ran her finger down Arizona's side, making the blonde giggle.

"You're the expert."

"Okay, you can sit back down now." Callie went back to her drawing. Arizona watched as the brunette worked her magic with the paper and colored pencils. She was able to produce a beautiful and colorful piece of art in less than ten minutes. "What do you think?" Callie asked as she held up the sketchbook.

"I think it's perfect." Arizona smiled. It was better than she imagined it. Of course it would be, since it was Callie doing it. Callie ripped the page out of the book and told Arizona to stand up again. She lifted her shirt and held the drawing next to the other tattoo.

"This will look amazing. I'll just blend the colors in here to make it look like one cohesive piece." Callie studied it for a minute longer. "This was a good idea, Mariposa."

"Thanks. I do know a thing or two about art." Arizona smiled. She was excited for Callie to tattoo her again. "What time is it? We have one of our cooking classes tonight."

"It's almost six."

"We should go then."

"Okay. Let me clean up this crap first." Callie sat down on the floor and started to gather all the wedding stuff. When she was done she threw it all in the trash.

"Don't we need that stuff?" Arizona asked in confusion.

"No, we're approaching the planning differently." Callie pecked Arizona on the lips. "Together."

"Together?" Arizona asked apprehensively. She didn't think Callie would actually take her up on her offer to help.

"Yes, together. It's your wedding too, remember?"

"Yeah, but you can just ask my opinion on things."

"Nope. You're going to help me every step of the way." Callie grabbed her stuff and kissed Arizona's cheek before heading out the door.

"Awesome." Arizona mumbled to herself as she followed the brunette. "Just awesome."

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me here this early, Mark."

"It's no problem, Blondie. We really didn't need to do this though. You're more than ready."

"I know. I just wanted to practice one more time. I really can't screw this up."

"You're not going to screw it up. You're just as talented as your brother was."

"You mean that?" Arizona grinned. That was the best compliment he could have given her.

"I really do." Mark smiled back. He had been mentoring Arizona on and off for the last six months. Ever since Callie told Arizona she wanted a tattoo that represented her, she was determined to do it herself. She had a little knowledge stored away from her brother, but not nearly enough, so she asked Mark to help her. He agreed right away. He would never turn down Tim Robbins sister, just in case she was as good as him and she did not disappoint. "You know, you should ditch the cakes and do this full time."

"No way. I just want to do this one on Calliope and I'm done." Arizona said as she set up the work area. Someone Mark had found was coming in soon so she could do another practice run. People would get any tattoo as long at it was free. Luckily for her test dummies, she had talent from the get-go and they each ended up with a really nice piece of art.

"Where does she think you are right now?" Mark knew it was their anniversary and found it hard to believe she'd be able to leave alone.

"It's her day off, she'll be sleeping until at least ten. She won't even notice I'm gone. Just like all the other times we did this."

"Right..." Mark looked up when he saw Lexie at the door. "Your guinea pig is here."

Arizona turned around to see her friend enter the shop. "Mark, no! I can't tattoo Lexie."

"Why not?"

"Because it's Lexie!"

"You need to practice on someone you know well. Doing a tattoo on someone you know is way more difficult than on a stranger. There's a lot more pressure not to screw it up."

"Gee thanks, Mark. That makes me feel a lot better." Arizona turned to the brunette. "Lex, you don't have to do this. Don't let him talk you into it."

"It was my idea, actually. He told me how amazing you are and I trust you, Arizona."

"Do you even have any tattoos?"

"Yeah, look." Lexie took off her shirt and turned around.

"Holy crap..." Arizona said in awe. Lexie had a set of feathery wings spread across her back. "How did I not know that existed?"

"Hot, right?" Mark grinned. He got quite the surprise the first time his girlfriends shirt came flying off.

"I guess it never came up."

"But..." Arizona thought about all the times she would have had the chance to see it. There weren't many, just that time at the beach house and now that she though about it, Lexie never did take her tshirt off. Arizona had been too busy drooling over Callie to notice or care. "Why not?"

"Tim did it. I wasn't sure if we were allowed to bring him up or not yet. I didn't want to have to explain where it came from."

"Oh..." Arizona looked at the tattoo again. Of course Tim did it, it was amazing. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course." Lexie said as she put her shirt back on. Mark's eyes were boring holes in her chest.

"Then have a seat, little lady." Arizona smiled as Lexie sat down. She tried not to show how nervous she was. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted something pastry related, but not too cheesy like just a cupcake or anything."

"What's wrong with cupcakes?"

"I wouldn't mind a cupcake, just not alone. I want something more involved than that."

"Ah. I see. Where do you want it?"

"I was thinking on my wrist." Lexie said, pointing to her right wrist.

"Are you sure your boss is okay with visible tattoos?" Arizona joked.

"I'm sure. She's pretty cool like that." Lexie smiled.

"Okay, give me a minute." Arizona knew exactly what she wanted to do. After some discussion from the brunette they came up with a design she was more than happy with. It would be a challenge since it was small and detailed. "Last chance, Lex. Are you sure about this?"

"Positive." Lexie smiled encouragingly. She believed with a doubt that Arizona would make this look great. The blonde quickly got to work before she lost her nerve. She worked slowly and carefully, making sure every detail and color was perfect. She listened as Lexie and Make chatted with each other, but chose to not join in on the conversation. Two hours later and she was done. She glanced at the clock and hoped Callie hasn't woken up yet. Since she hasn't received any angry phone calls or texts, she figured she was still good.

"All done, Lex. What do you think?" Arizona asked nervously. She watched as Lexie examined her work. The genuine smile on her face told Arizona that she liked it.

"I love it, Arizona. I don't know why you were so worried."

"See, Blondie, you're good. Now go home, before Callie reports you missing."

"Thanks Mark." Arizona grinned as she took off her gloves. She was so ready for this, now she just had to get Callie to agree.

* * *

Arizona found Callie sprawled across their bed on her back still asleep when she got home. She had her arm wrapped around Sonny and the cat was just as dead to the world as the brunette was. She laughed to herself as she quietly shut the bedroom door and went downstairs to the kitchen. They learned how to make omelets in their cooking class the night before and she was planning on using her new skill to surprise her sleeping beauty with breakfast, well brunch at this point, in bed. She figured bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach would be a safe bet, so she pulled those out of the fridge along with some eggs and cheese. She stuck some sausage in the oven to cook while she made the omelets. After only one failed attempt she came up with two delicious looking omelets. She proudly displayed them on two plates and put them on a tray along with the coffee and orange juice she already had on it. She put the calla lilies she had bought on the way home in a vase and added those to the tray. Arizona picked it up and carefully carried it upstairs. It was kind of heavy from all the things she put on it, which made opening the bedroom door a problem. She frowned at her predicament and looked around. When no apparent solution came to her, she just put the tray on the ground and opened the door. Callie and Sonny were in their exact same positions as before. Arizona picked the tray back up and entered the bedroom. She set it down on the table at the end of the bed and crawled in next to Callie. Sonny woke up and glared at her before jumping off the bed and running out of the room. Arizona stuck her tongue out at him. "Calliope, I have food." She said as she shook Callie's body. "And coffee."

"Mmm, coffee." Callie mumbled. She opened one eye to see Arizona smiling down at her. She opened her other eye and grinned back. "Good morning."

"It's eleven o'clock. I think we're past good morning." Arizona said as she leaned in for a kiss.

"Why did you let me sleep in so late?" Callie sat up and leaned against the headboard. "I smell coffee, but I don't see coffee."

"I didn't have the heart to wake you. I know you've been having trouble sleeping these past few days." Arizona got up to retrieve the tray. "Happy anniversary." She grinned as she presented Callie with the food.

"You made this for me?"

"I did. It tastes good too."

"It looks and smells amazing." Callie took a bite and smiled. "You did good, babe."

"Thanks." Arizona took her plate off the tray and set it on her lap. "I figured we could head over to the shop when we're done."

"Sounds good to me." Callie happily took a bite of her perfectly cooked sausage. "You know what I was doing a year ago at this moment? Answering the door in my pajamas to greet your best friend for the first time." She laughed when she remembered how she treated Teddy at first.

"I'm really glad you guys like each other."

"Me too." Callie hummed in pleasure as she took a large gulp of her coffee.

"You're in a good mood." Arizona smiled. Callie has been understandably down since Tinkerbell passed away.

"I'm just happy." Callie set down her coffee cup. "You make me happy."

"You make me happy too." Arizona leaned over for a coffee traced kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

"Hey! How's my favorite lesbian couple?" Mark called out when Callie and Arizona entered the shop.

"Mark, we're the only lesbian couple you know." Callie laughed. "Hey Lexie, what are you doing here?" She thought she would be working, especially since Arizona wasn't.

"Just hanging out." Lexie shrugged. Meredith covered for her that morning so she could get her tattoo, but she hasn't left yet. She wanted to see Callie's reaction.

"What's this?" Callie grabbed Lexie's wrist. "Did Mark just do this? It's fresh." Callie examined the charm bracelet tattoo that circled the younger woman's wrist. At first glance it looked real, with it's 3D quality. The little charms were all pastry related. A whisk, pastry bag, rolling pin, spatula, a pie, and a cupcake.

"Umm... " Lexie glanced at Arizona. "No, he didn't."

"Well, I know Yang didn't do it. It's too cutesy for her. George?" Callie didn't realize he had gotten so good.

"No, not George."

"I didn't do it and we don't have any other artists, so that means you got it somewhere else. You know we're the best, right?" Callie was offended she'd even think of going somewhere else.

"I know, Callie."

"Then who did it? It's really good, especially the shadowing. I need to know my competition." Callie was joking. She knew she had no competition. She fixed a stare on Lexie that she knew would break her. "Well?"

"Uh." Lexie looked at Arizona for help.

"Calliope, leave her alone." Arizona stepped in.

"She's being weird." Callie said, still staring at Lexie.

"She's just trying to not spoil my surprise."

"What surprise?" Callie spun around to face the blonde. "Arizona?"

"I did it."

Callie turned back around and grabbed Lexie's wrist again, pulling her closer to get a better look. "Mariposa, you're amazing." She said with a wide grin.

"Yeah?" Arizona mirrored her grin.

"I don't know why you sound so surprised." Callie dropped Lexie's wrist and replaced it with Arizona's and pulling her in for a hug. "I think everything you do is amazing. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to do your tattoo as a surprise. Mark helped me."

"You're going to tattoo me?" Callie really liked the sound of that.

"If that's okay."

"Babe, it's perfect." Callie kissed her fiancée and let go of her. "Me first!"

"Okay." Arizona laughed. She took her design idea out of her bag and handed it to Callie. "I drew this last night."

Callie inspected the sketch. As they discussed six months ago, it was a pink feather, but with Arizona's own twist on it. Next to it was a much smaller grey and brown one. "What's this?" She asked pointing at the small feather.

"I thought since we're at it, we could add Tink too." Arizona said unsure how Callie would react. The brunette remained silent, but nodded in agreement. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Callie handed the drawing back and shrugged her jacket off. She was wearing a low cut tank top underneath, so her chest would be exposed without having to take her shirt off.

"Okay, that's not fair. You got to do me topless." Arizona smiled. She was only half kidding.

"I'd take it off, but I don't want you to be distracted." Callie smirked.

"I'm a professional, Calliope."

"Show me." Callie raised a challenging eyebrow.

Arizona pushed Callie down in the chair and straddled her lap. "I'll definitely show you." She leaned down and captured Callie's lips in a heated kiss. The brunette wrapped her arms around Arizona's middle and pulled her closer to deepen their kiss.

"Should we leave them alone?" Lexie whispered to Mark. She looked up to see him gaping at the couple. "Mark!"

"What?" Mark tore his eyes away from the show to find his angry girlfriend glaring at him. "I love you?"

"Nice try."

"That was not professional at all." Callie said when the blonde released her from their kiss.

"Oops." Arizona got off Callie's lap. "Are you going to fire me?"

"Maybe."

"You would never fire me." Arizona bent over to whisper in the brunette's ear. "Whose ass would you stare at all day?" She yelped when Callie immediately slapped her butt hard enough to make it sting. "Callie!"

"You started it." Callie laughed. "Are we doing this thing or what?"

"Yeah, let's do it." Arizona was surprised that she didn't feel nervous anymore. She could feel Callie's eyes watching her closely as she set everything up. "You don't have to watch me, I know what I'm doing. I had a pretty good teacher."

"I trust you. You're just beautiful. I like watching you, especially with that machine in your hand."

"You like that, huh?" Arizona glanced sideways at Callie and smirked.

"Yup." Callie chewed on her bottom lip as she watched the blonde finish setting up. "Are you using a stencil?"

"I thought I'd free hand it."

"Sounds good."

"I'm ready if you are."

"Of course."

"Okay, sit back." Arizona tapped on Callie's left leg to get her to spread them open them so she could stand between them.

"You know, this isn't very professional either." Callie would never stand between someone's legs like this. It was a bit too personal, not that she minded the blonde being there.

"I have my own style." Arizona moved the foot pedal so she could control it better and hit it a few times to make sure it was in a comfortable spot. The buzzing of the gun in her hand made her and Callie grin at each other. "You sure you trust me?"

"More than anything." Callie inhaled sharply when Arizona leaned close and touched the tip of the gun to her skin. Her blonde air was loose and tickled the skin on Callie's chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the blonde's shampoo, since her head was right in her face. She opened them again and watched Arizona's profile as she concentrated on her art. The confidence the blonde was exuding as she worked was turning Callie on. "This is something I never thought would happen."

"Never say never, Calliope." Arizona flicked her eyes up quickly and smiled.

"I'm learning that with you." Callie moved her head the half inch that separated her lips from Arizona's head and kissed the blonde locks.

"I really shouldn't have to tell you there's no moving allowed."

"Sorry." Callie rolled her eyes and looked around. She always had a problem sitting for long periods of time without doing anything. "You almost done?"

"I just started." Arizona laughed and stopped the gun. "Patience, love, patience."

"I'm not good at that."

"I know." Arizona resumed working. "It won't take long, don't worry." She felt Callie squeeze her hips with her legs. "Callie!"

"Did I forget to tell you that Cal is the worst person to tattoo?" Mark said from across the room.

"Yeah, you failed to mention that little detail."

"My bad." Mark grinned. Tattooing Callie is like an initiation. If you can get through it without killing her or messing up, you can tattoo anybody. "You're doing great, Blondie."

"How's it going?" Callie ignored them.

"Calliope, I'll stop and leave you here."

"Sorry..." Callie grumbled. She believed that the blonde would actually do it too. "Loose, footloose kick off your Sunday shoes. Please, Louise pull me off a my knees." Callie started bobbing her head to her song.

"Really, Callie?" Arizona laughed. Even though the brunette was driving her nuts, she still was cute.

"Everybody cut everybody cut! Everybody cut everybody cut! Footloose!" Callie finished and looked down at her chest. All she could see was blonde hair. "You sure have a lot of hair."

"Not nearly as much as you do."

"Mine isn't in the way right now."

"Okay, I finished mine. Do you want to see it now or wait until I do Tinks?" Arizona stood up straight to stretch out her back.

"I'll wait. Can I have a kiss?" She smiled when Arizona rolled her eyes. "Please?"

"I don't think you deserve it."

"I do. I totally do."

"Fine." Arizona leaned in and gave the brunette a quick kiss on the lip. She ignored Callie's pout and went back to work. She finished without anymore grief from Callie and set the machine down. "Done!" She took a step back to examine her work. It looked pretty darn good. She handed Callie a mirror so she could see it better. She held her breath as Callie lifted the mirror up. The stunning smile that lit up Callie's face made Arizona know she did well. "You like it?"

"It's perfect. Thank you, Mariposa." Callie put the mirror down and looked up at Arizona. "I don't know how to explain how happy I am that you did this for me."

"I was more than happy to do it." Arizona gave Callie a much longer kiss, making sure to keep it PG-13. "My turn?"

"Your turn. Take off your shirt." Callie said as she played with the hem of the blonde's tshirt.

"Demanding. Jeeze." Arizona slapped her hands away. She didn't need the whole shop seeing her topless... again.

"You think I'm hot when I'm bossy." Callie smirked as she got out of the chair to go gather the privacy screens. She set up the screens around her station and turned to Arizona. "Okay, now take of your shirt."

Arizona rolled her eyes and lifter her shirt over her head. "Happy?"

"Thrilled." Callie stepped closer and ran her hands down Arizona's bare sides. "Ecstatic even."

"Callie, stop." Arizona protested as Callie started placing wet kisses across her chest. "I thought you were going to do my tattoo now."

"Tattoo later." Callie growled against the blonde's skin.

_ Kissing now._

* * *

**...  
**


	39. Chapter 35: Was it at least good?

**I hugged my equivalent of Tinkerbell for an entire day after I posted my last chapter. **

* * *

Callie wandered aimlessly from room to room in her house turning on lights, turning off lights, opening windows, shutting windows, and pretty much feeling rather sorry for herself. She had no idea when or how it happened, but independent, self assured, bad ass Callie Torres has turned into one of those people who can't function properly without her other half. She made her way into the kitchen, thinking that she should probably eat something since it was eight at night and she hasn't had any food all day. She opened the fridge and frowned at her choices. There wasn't much, since she hadn't bothered to go grocery shopping since Arizona left. It was their Sunday night tradition to do it together and Callie didn't feel like doing it alone. Who would sneak ice cream into the cart so Callie could pretend not to notice it? Who would she argue with about what flavor juice to buy, even though they always end up getting orange juice? Who would embarrass her by riding the shopping cart like a scooter down the aisles and crash it into a display of paper towels? Callie sighed as she picked up a bag of spinach. She'd just dump some ranch on it and call it good. She saw that there were two opened bottles of ranch. Arizona never remembered to check for an already opened anything before opening a new one. It usually drove Callie nuts, but now it just made her sad. She dumped out the nearly empty one into the bag of spinach and threw the bottle in the sink. It landed with a loud clank that made her flinch. She held the top of the bad shut and shook it vigorously, so the dressing would coat every piece of spinach. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, she stabbed at the soggy leafy green vegetable with one of them and shoved it in her mouth. "This taste like shit." She said out loud to herself and threw the bag into the trash. She didn't feel hungry anyway. She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket and pulled it out to see that it was Mark calling her again. She rolled her eyes and decided to answer it or he'd never stop calling. "What?"

"What the fuck, Callie. Why are you ignoring my calls?"

"I'm not." Callie lied.

"You are too. Come to Joes with me tonight. It will be just us. Like old times."

"I don't feel like it."

"What is wrong with you? Come on, Cal. It will be fun. You deserve a night out and we're off tomorrow."

"I miss her, Mark." Callie said quietly. She knew how pathetic she sounded.

"Torres, really?" Mark rolled his eyes. "You're definitely coming out with me tonight. I'm picking you up in half an hour. Be ready."

"I really don't feel like it."

"You need to get your mind off the fact that Blondie is gone and the best way to do that is getting shit faced with your best friend."

"Mark..." Callie laughed. Maybe Joes wasn't such a bad idea. "Fine, I'll be ready."

"Yes! See you soon, Cals."

"Okay, bye." Callie hung up and sighed. At least she can get something to eat at Joes. She was already in her pajamas, so she had to run upstairs to change. Not caring what she looked like she grabbed the first pair of jeans and shirt she could find and put them on. She finger combed her long wavy hair back into a low ponytail and secured it with a hair band. She has been thinking about cutting it for awhile now, since it was getting incredibly long, but Arizona liked it this way. Callie made another round around the house to make sure she turned off all the lights and shut all the windows. Just as she was coming downstairs, she heard the front door open.

"Cal! Let's go!" Mark yelled into the house, not noticing that Callie was already in the entryway.

"I'm right here, Mark!" Callie yelled back.

"Sorry." Mark looked Callie up and down. She had on old holey jeans and a plain faded black tshirt. "Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Callie asked as she looked down at her outfit. It looked fine to her.

"Nothing."

"Let's just go." Callie grabbed her bag and pulled Mark out the front door. Now that she's committed to this, she was more than ready for a drink or twelve.

* * *

"Zona, this is just getting sad." Teddy had come home from the hospital to find her best friend sitting on her couch in her pajamas, staring at the tv, and eating straight from a carton of ice cream.

"Calliope loves watching HGTV." Arizona said as she took another bite of cookies and cream ice cream. Another thing Callie loves.

"Okay, no more tv." Teddy stood in front of the television set to block Arizona's view. The blonde just stared right through her. "What are you even doing here?"

"My mom is driving me insane. She won't stop asking me questions I don't know how to answer."

"Get up." Teddy walked over to Arizona and grabbed her spoon mid bite. "We're going out."

"Give that back!"

"No, get up!" Teddy nudged the blonde's knee with her foot. "My day was shit. I need to go out and you're coming with me."

"I don't want to go out." Arizona pouted.

"You don't have a choice!" Teddy turned to head towards her room. "I'm getting you something of mine to wear."

"Teddy, no!" Arizona yelled.

"Yes!" Teddy yelled back before going into her bedroom. Arizona growled and peeled herself off the sofa. She knew she'd have to stop Teddy from picking something out for her or she'd end up looking like a prostitute.

"Teds, can't we just stay here and spend quality best friend time together?" Arizona asked as she threw herself on Teddy's bed.

"Are you just trying to get out of going out?"

"Maybe." Arizona grinned. "We can drink here and watch old Friends episodes. Just like the good old times." She gave her friend her best pleading look that always worked on Callie.

"Hmm..." Teddy narrowed her eyes at the puppy dog eyed blonde. "I see you haven't lost your power of persuasion."

"It never really goes away." Arizona laughed. "Does that mean you're in?"

"Fine." Teddy rolled her eyes. "Let me change into something more comfortable."

"Yay!" Arizona jumped off the bed. "I'll get the wine and DVDs ready while you change." She ran to the kitchen and found three bottles of wine sitting on the counter as if they were waiting for her. She grabbed all three and brought them to the living room.

"I really don't think we need three bottles, Zona." Teddy said when she came in the living room and found Arizona setting the bottles on the coffee table.

"I just want to be prepared so we don't have to interrupt our marathon."

"You really miss her, don't you?"

"So, so much."

"I'll get the glasses."

* * *

"Where's Lexie?" Callie asked Mark. It was rare to see them apart these days.

"At home."

"She let you off your leash tonight?"

"She knew you needed a friend."

"I'm fine." Callie rolled her eyes. He was treating her like a invalid.

"You spent all day at work today doodling pictures of Blondie's face."

"That did not happen." Callie quickly finished her third drink and stood up. "I'm going to the bar to get another one."

"Don't you think you should slow down?"

"Bite me, Sloan." Callie said as she walked away. "Hey Joe."

"Another one already, Callie?"

"Yes please and take your time." Callie wasn't ready to go back to her friend yet. She looked around as she drummed her fingers on the bar and bobbed her head to the music. Her eyes stopped on a vaguely familiar woman who was staring at her hungrily. Her heart sank when she realized how she knew her. "Actually Joe, can you bring it to our table?"

"Sure thing, Cal."

"Callie?" The woman Callie was trying to avoid came up to her before she was able to leave the bar.

"Nope." Callie said dismissively and tried to move around her, but the woman sidestepped in front of her.

"Callie, I know it's you. Don't you remember me? I'm Josie."

"I'm sorry, I'm with a friend. I should get back to him."

"I'm sure he won't mind." Josie smiled and stepped closer to Callie, causing the brunette to take a step back and run into a barstool. "I remember him. He definitely didn't mind last time."

"Here's your drink, Cal." Joe said as he set her glass on the counter. "Mark's waving for you to go back."

"Thanks, Joe. See you later, Josie." Callie hastily took off for her table. "I want to go." She stated as soon as she got back to Mark.

"No, we have to at least stay for two hours or this was pointless."

"Fine. How long of we been here?" It had to be close to two hours already.

"Thirty minutes."

* * *

"Would you wear an ugly bracelet like that just because I bought it for you out of friendship?" Arizona asked Teddy.

"You would never buy me something that ugly."

"Hypothetically, Teds." Arizona leaned forward to set her glass down on the coffee table, but missed. Luckily she didn't let go, so only a little sloshed out. "Oopsy!" The blonde giggled and decided to just finish the wine in case of another closer call.

"No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't be like pansy ass Chandler and jut tell you it was ugly. Then I'd make you go buy me a prettier one."

"Sounds about right." Arizona stared back at the screen where the gang was watching an old prom video. "I love Rachel and Ross."

"Shhh they're about to kiss." Teddy waved her hand around trying to find Arizona's mouth to cover, but ended up hitting her in the eye.

"Ow!" Arizona laughed. "That hurt."

"You won't remember it tomorrow after all that wine." They had already made it through the first bottle and were working on the second.

"I'm not drunk!" Arizona picked up a pillow to hit Teddy in the head, but missed and hit the empty glass her friend was holding. "You need a refill!"

"No! No more. I feel like you're trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me."

"Ew, Teddy. That would never ever happen."

"Ouch, Zona. Tell me how you really feel."

"I love you, you know that. I'm just saying you're like a sister to me and that's gross." Arizona took the bottle and refilled both of their glasses. "Now drink up."

"We missed one of the best kisses in television history because of all your blabbering." Teddy picked up the clicker and hit rewind. "I love you too by the way." The two women exchanged sappy smiles before turning back to the show. Rachel had just gotten up and was making her way over to Ross. When she reached him, both Arizona and Teddy sighed as they kissed.

"See? He's her lobster." Arizona said in unison with Phoebe. She grinned and got up a bit unsteadily.

"What are you doing?" Teddy asked as she grabbed her friends legs to steady her.

"Getting my phone."

"Why?"

"I have to call Calliope and tell her she's my lobster."

"Zona, no. You're drunk."

"I am not and it wouldn't matter if I was." Arizona shook Teddy off her leg and went to find her phone. She found it on the kitchen counter and sat down on the floor to call Callie. It rang a few times before going to voicemail. Arizona frowned and checked the time. It was only ten o'clock in Seattle, so Callie should still be awake. She'll wait a few minutes and try again.

* * *

Callie finished another drink and looked up to see Josie approaching their table. "Hey Callie, care to dance?"

"No, thank you."

"Come on, grumpy pants. I know you love to dance."

"Not with you."

"Cal, go dance. Have some fun." Mark butted in. "You're being a downer."

"I don't feel like it." Callie checked her watch. She still had an hour before Mark would let her go home. Maybe dancing would help it go by faster. She looked up at the hopeful Josie and stood up. "Fine, I'll go."

"Great!" Josie smiled wide and went to take Callie's hand, but the brunette pulled away and took off towards the dance floor. She dropped her head and followed. Mark watched as Callie began to let loose. His friend was made to dance and it never failed to make her happy. He heard a faint buzzing and looked around. It seem to be coming from Callie's bag that was sitting on the chair. Mark ignored it and went back to watching his friend own the dance floor. A few minutes later it started buzzing again. He picked up the bag and dug around to find her phone. When he saw it was Arizona, he decided to answer it.

"Hey Blondie!" He yelled over the noise of the bar.

"Mark? Why do you have Calliope's phone? And why is it so loud?"

"We're at Joes and she's dancing right now."

"Dancing with who?" Arizona couldn't help the bit of jealousy she felt. She wanted to be the one dancing with Callie right now.

"I don't know. Some chick." Mark listened to the silence that filled the other line. "You still there?"

"Does she seem happy?"

"Are you kidding? She's miserable without you."

"Really?" Arizona took some comfort in knowing that Callie shared in her misery. At least she wasn't the only pathetic one.

"She's coming back. Did you want to talk to her?"

"I didn't call her cell to talk to you, now did I?" Arizona snapped.

"You two are mean without each other. Hold on." Mark held the phone out to Callie when she made it back to their table.

"Who is it?"

"Arizona." Mark smiled and shook his head at the large grin that lit up Callie's face. She grabbed the phone and her bag and quickly left the noise of the bar. She sat down on the bench outside her shop and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Arizona?"

"Yeah, babe, it's me." Arizona smiled at the sound of Callie's voice.

"I miss you." Callie said quietly.

"I miss you too."

"Isn't it kind if late in New York?"

"Teddy and I were hanging out."

"So were Mark and I."

"Yeah, he told me." Arizona paused. "He also told me you were dancing with some chick."

"Only for half a song. I realized that I never want to dance with anyone else but you ever again."

"Because I'm your lobster."

"Um... sure?" Callie frowned. "Are you drunk?"

"No! Why do you guys keep accusing me of being drunk?" Arizona laughed. Callie smiled at the blonde's laughter. She missed hearing her laugh. "It's a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank, you know, holding claws like..." Arizona put her hands up and linked her fingers together like lobster claws as she quoted the Friends episode she's seen a million and one times. "You have to picture lobsters."

"I don't think that's true, Mariposa."

"According to Phoebe it is."

"Watching Friends and drinking wine again?" Callie smiled. It was one of Arizona's favorite pastimes.

"Maybe..." Arizona paused. "You're my lobster, Calliope." She waited for a response, but didn't receive one. "What are you thinking about over there?"

"It's just..." Callie let out a deep sigh. "You've only been gone two days and I feel so empty. Like there's a huge part of me missing and I don't know what to do with myself."

"I know, I feel it too." They have never spent this much time apart before and they still have two more days to go.

"Can you just come home now?"

"No, my mom would never forgive me. She's been looking forward to tomorrow for probably my whole life. She keeps asking me all these questions about styles, colors, fits, shoes, hair, and makeup. I don't know how to answer, because I don't know what I'm looking for."

"You'll know it when you see it."

"I hope so. Why couldn't you come pick it out for me again?"

"Because I'm not supposed to see you in your wedding dress before the wedding."

"I can't wait to see you in yours." Arizona smiled. She knew Callie was going to make the worlds most beautiful bride. "Who's going with you tomorrow?"

"My mom, Aria, Alexa, Cristina, and Mark."

"That should be interesting. It's just my mom, Teddy, and me going. My dad might come too. He hasn't decided. I'm not sure he'd be able to handle it. I'm not sure I'll even be able to handle it. My mom and wedding dress shopping does not sound like my idea of fun."

"You'll be fine, babe. You just have to have fun with it. Promise me you won't give your mom too hard of a time."

"I'll try."

"Promise me."

"Fine, I promise." Arizona rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't give your mom a hard time either."

"I'll try not to, but you've met her. That's a lot easier said than done."

"True..." Silence filled the line. Callie could hear the loud chattering and music coming from the bar and Arizona could hear the tv blaring from the living room. Neither woman had anything to say, but didn't want to hang up and lose their connection with each other.

"Cal?!" Callie looked up to see Mark looking for her. Maybe she could finally go home now. She stood up and waved to make her presence known to him. He nodded and headed towards her.

"It looks like Mark is going to take me home now." Callie told her fiancée. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Okay. Have fun dress shopping tomorrow."

"You too. I love you." Callie smiled. She knew Arizona would probably hate every minute of it, but she was doing it for her and it made her love the blonde even more.

"I love you too, Calliope." Arizona hung up and set her phone on the ground. She felt even emptier now that she heard her loves voice but couldn't hug her or kiss her or even just look at her. She picked her phone back up and started ruminating on her relationship with Callie as she flipped through the hundreds of photos she has taken over the last year and two months together. She was trying to figure out the exact moment they became so intertwined with one another that now they can't live or breath when they were apart. If Arizona really wanted to be honest with herself, she'd admit that moment happened the second she set eyes on Callie.

"You know you're going to see her again in less than forty eight hours, right?" Teddy interrupted the blonde's thoughts. "We should probably go to bed, since we're going shopping tomorrow. Knowing your mom, we'll be out all day."

"Yeah, you're right." Arizona sighed. Only two more sleeps until she was back in Callie's arms. Right where she belonged.

* * *

"Mama, no!"

"Calliope, why not? It's a very beautiful dress."

"It's ugly." Callie rolled her eyes at the poofy off white wedding dress her mother was holding up. "I didn't even know they made them like that anymore." She poked at the puffed up shoulders. "Are those shoulder pads?"

"What's wrong with them? This is very similar to what I wore when I married your father."

"That was a long time ago."

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Alexa whined. It's been a long day already and Callie was nowhere near making a decision.

"I know, me too." Aria said as she rubbed her swollen belly. She was now seven months pregnant and this pregnancy was not as easy as her first. "Callie, can we take a break and get something to eat?"

Callie looked around at her deflated looking family and friends. Alexa was sitting in Cristina's lap playing on her mom's phone. Mark was trying very hard to avoid looking at Callie, who was standing in front of them in only a bustier and boy short underwear. This was the fifth shop in the city they've been to. They've already found Alexa and Cristina's dresses and reserved Mark's tux. "Okay, but only because I don't want my new niece to starve to death." The whole family was thrilled when Aria told them she was pregnant again, especially Callie. She loved the idea of having another niece to spoil. She would never admit out loud that she was also a bit jealous, but knew her time would come. Hopefully soon. "You guys go ahead, I'll meet you over there." The restaurant they had chosen was across the street from the bridal shop. No one tried to protest and got up to leave. When they were gone, Callie went in her private dressing room to change back into her regular clothes. She hoped that Arizona was having better luck shopping. She glanced in the mirror at the lacy cream colored bustier they had given her to borrow as she tried on some strapless gowns. It made her boobs look amazing. She grabbed her phone to take a picture of her reflection and smiled wickedly as she sent it to Arizona.

* * *

"Zona, come out of there!" Teddy said as she pounded on the dressing room door her friend had locked herself into ten minutes ago.

"No!"

"Please, your mom is driving all the people who work here crazy."

"Good, at least I get a break!" Arizona plopped down on one of the comfortable chairs this store provided and threw her head back against the wall in frustration. This day was going pretty much as she had expected it to. Six stores and about thirty dresses into it and she was completely spent. She wondered how Callie was doing. She lifted her head when she heard her phone play Callie's text message tone. It was as if the brunette knew she was thinking of her. She unlocked her phone and her mouth fell open when she saw the picture her fiancée sent her. She drooled over the picture for a second before gathering her senses enough to reply.

**I really hope that's what you chose to wear to the wedding.**

**Maybe for the wedding night, if you're lucky ;)**

Arizona grinned and checked her reflection. She was still only in her bra and panties from when she tore off the last horrible dress her mom made her try on. Deciding two could play at this game, she took her picture and sent it to Callie. She laughed when her phone started ringing almost immediately. "Hello?"

"You play dirty, Mariposa." Callie said in a low raspy voice that made Arizona's insides fire up.

"I believe you're the one who started it." Arizona whispered back. She wasn't sure if Teddy was still on the other side of the door or not. "You can't send me stuff like that when I'm 2700 miles away."

"Why not?" Callie asked as innocently as possible.

"You know why, Calliope."

"I really don't. You need to tell me."

"Because I'm not there to take it off of you."

"Ah. Well, I managed it okay all by myself." Callie slyly took another picture of herself and sent it to Arizona. She waited for the blonde to receive it.

"Hold on, I have a message." Arizona pulled the phone away from her ear and inhaled sharply at the picture of her now very topless fiancée. "Callie!"

"See, I don't need you."

"Yes you do." Arizona thought for a second before coming to a decision. "Are you alone?"

"Do you think I would be sitting here in only my underwear if I wasn't? Why?"

"I want you to show me how much you don't need me."

"How?" Callie's eyes widened when she realized what the blonde was insinuating. "Arizona, no!"

"You're a tease, Calliope Torres."

"How am I a tease?"

"You send me those pictures with no intention of following through."

"Babe..." Callie chewed on her lip as she thought about what Arizona was asking of her. Even over thousands of miles, she could feel the sexual tension building up between them as each woman separately thought the same thing. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to touch yourself." Arizona whispered as quietly as she could.

"Um..." Callie looked around the room. She couldn't believe she was actually considering this.

"Please, Calliope." Arizona begged as her hand snaked down her body and into her underwear. "I'm already wet for you, are you wet for me?" She moaned out.

Callie almost dropped the phone at the blonde's confession. The way her voice was oozing sex made the brunette even wetter than she already was. She could hear Arizona's breathing become louder and heavier. "What are you doing?"

"I asked you a question first, Calliope."

"Wha?" Callie's brain couldn't comprehend words at the same time Arizona was moaning in her ear. She knew her fiancée was doing it on purpose.

"I asked if you were wet for me."

"Oh..." Callie hesitated before slowly putting her own fingers between her legs. She wasn't just wet, she was soaked. "Yes."

"How wet?" Arizona stopped her own fingers movements to concentrate on what Callie was doing.

"Remember how wet I was the night before you left? When you snuck up on me and fucked me from behind?" Callie asked as she slowly moved her fingers through her very slick folds.

"Yeah."

"I'm wetter." Callie smiled when she heard Arizona gasp. She moaned and closed her eyes as she entered herself.

"What are you doing?" Arizona felt a jolt of electricity go straight to her clit when she heard Callie's moan. She slowly stroked it to try and get some relief from the intense throbbing.

"I'm imagining my fingers are your fingers from that night." Callie patted out. Yup, there was definitely no turning back now.

"Callie..." Arizona growled. She could hear Callie's muffled moans as she struggled to keep herself quiet. She pictured Callie's pleasure filled face as she sped up her own fingers movements. "Where are your fingers now?"

"Inside of me." Callie said as she pumped in and out of herself. She threw her head back against the chair she was sitting in and spread her legs wider. "You feel so damn good inside of me."

"You feel good inside of me too." Arizona could feel herself getting close. "I want to be fucking your clit."

"Okay." Callie pulled out of herself and started circling her clit. "Mmm... you feel amazing."

"So do you." Arizona whispered.

"You like when I fuck you like this, don't you?" Callie's low husky voice made Arizona melt into her chair even more

"Y-Yes..." Arizona bucked against her hand as she added more pressure to her clit. "I'm close."

"Me too." Callie moaned. Soft moans and heavy breathing filled the phone line as each woman brought themselves closer to climax. "Come for me, baby."

"I-I'm. I'm..." Arizona desperately tried to hold in her moans as she felt her release approaching. She sped up her movements even more and squirmed in her chair as an intense orgasm ripped through her entire body. "Oh, fuck..." She hissed sharply. Her body fell limply against the chair as she struggled to regain control of her breathing.

The sound of Arizona coming in her ear, sent Callie over the edge at the same time. She managed to keep her release quiet and gripped onto the phone as she rode out her waves of pleasure. Except for the sound of both of their heavy breathing, the phone line was completely dead as both woman tried to come to terms with what just happens. After a minute, Callie heard slurping from the other end. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning off my fingers."

"You're actually trying to kill me here, aren't you?" Callie laughed. The line fell silent again. Both woman jumped at the sound of loud banging coming from Arizona's end.

"Zona! I managed to get your mom under control, but if you don't come out of there right now, I'm ditching you." Teddy yelled.

"Okay, give me five minutes."

"What do you need five minutes for?"

"I need to change."

"You've been in there over half an hour. You've had plenty of time to change. What the hell have you been doing?" Teddy was really regretting agreeing to be maid of honor in this wedding.

"I wasn't doing anything." Arizona smiled at the sound of Callie's laughter over the phone.

"Fine. Five minutes. I'm watching the clock, Zona."

"So..." Callie said after another minute of silence. "That was really hot."

"It was." Arizona grinned. "Except my underwear are now ruined and I didn't think I needed to bring a spare."

"Mine too and I was supposed to meet my family for lunch across the street awhile ago. I'm surprised they haven't come looking for me."

"I guess you should go before they do."

"I guess you're right... I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye, Mariposa."

"Bye, Calliope." Arizona smiled sadly and hung up. She looked in the mirror and noticed her face was still flushed. She grinned and opened her text messages.

**You make dress shopping way more fun.**

**Glad I could help :)**

**Do you think we can do that again later tonight?**

**Absolutely.**

Arizona looked at the pictures Callie sent again one last time before putting her phone back in her bag so she could get dressed. She really didn't want Teddy to break down the door. She discarded her underwear into the trash and pulled on her pants. Hopefully she could buy new one sat the next place without Teddy or her mom noticing. She put on her shirt and tried to fix her hair. It somehow got all messed up even though she was alone. When she deemed herself presentable she opened the door to find Teddy waiting right outside. "Hey, Teds!" She said a little too cheerfully. Her friend glared at her and stepped into the dressing room to look around. "What are you looking for?"

"You have your just had sex look and Callie isn't here, so spill it."

"Teddy! Shhh!" Arizona hissed. She did not need her mother to hear her. "I did not just have sex. That's insane."

"I've known you since we were kids. You look guilty as hell." Teddy watched as Arizona attempted to look more neutral. "Go wash you hands! Your mom is waiting outside for us." Teddy pushed Arizona towards the bathroom. "I hate you, by the way." She rolled her eyes when Arizona grinned at her and walked away towards the bathroom. She looked back in the dressing room and noticed the underwear in the trash. "Gross..."

* * *

Callie slowly opened her dressing room door and stuck her head out. There wasn't anyone in sight, so she quickly gathered her stuff and exited the little room. She kept her head down as she tried to make a quick escape, causing her to run directly into someone. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." She looked up to see probably the last person she wanted to see. She could never hide what happened from her, she knew her too well.

"Torres, your family was wondering what the hell happened to you. I needed a break from all their inane chatter, so I volunteered to come find you." Cristina looked the guilty brunette up and down. "Imagine my surprise when I saw you taking, what looks to be, the walk of shame."

"Cris..." Callie sighed and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and finger.

"I'm even more surprised because it is the middle of the day, we're standing in this god awful bridal shop, and roller girl is all the way across the country." Cristina smirked when she saw Callie's face turn bright red. "I seriously doubt you just bumped uglies with any of the old ladies working here, so something else is going on."

"Cristina, please just drop it and please don't say anything to anyone."

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll tell George to take you off walk ins."

"Deal. Ready to go face your mother and eight year old niece with your nice after sex glow now?"

"Oh my god. Am I really that obvious?" Callie was mortified, but would so do it again if given the chance.

"To me you are and probably to Sloan too."

"Great, just great."

* * *

"Here, I got you these." Teddy whispered as she handed Arizona a small bag. She went to buy them when the blonde was in the bathroom.

"What is it?"

"Underwear."

"How did you-" Arizona paused and her face started burning. "You saw them."

"Yup." Teddy grinned at her friends obvious embarrassment. "Story time?"

"Nope." Arizona turned around and went back into the bathroom to change.

"Come on!" Teddy said as she followed her into the bathroom. "I'm your best friend. I bought you underwear for goodness sakes. I distracted your mom while you did whatever it is you did. I deserve something."

"Trust me, Teds. You really don't want to know."

"But, I really do."

"Callie called and we had phone sex in the dressing room." Arizona said as she came out of the stall. "Happy?"

"You're not serious." Teddy had heard plenty about her friends crazy sex life, but this was new.

"I am."

"You're right, I didn't want to know that."

"I told you." Arizona laughed at the look of horror on Teddy's face.

"Was it at least good?"

"Mind blowing."

"Huh..." Teddy grabbed Arizona's arm and drug her out of the bathroom. "Ready to go face your mom?"

"I hate you."

"I hate you too." Teddy smiled when she saw Barbara coming towards them. The older Robbins looked mad, a look that rarely was on her face.

"Baby girl, what have you been doing? I've been looking everywhere for you." Barbara took in her daughters flushed appearance and her expression softened. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I wasn't feeling very well, so I needed to sit down. I feel much better now though."

"Yeah, I bet you do." Teddy mumbled and rolled her eyes. Arizona elbowed her in the side. "Ow!" She hit the blonde on the shoulder in retaliation.

"You girls never change, do you?" Barbara laughed. "I was talking to another bride and she told me about this small wedding boutique that isn't listed. I thought we'd try there next."

"Okay, Mom." Arizona sighed. Here they go again. She was in a much better mood now though. "Lead the way."

* * *

"Okay, Ms. Torres, you can look now." The shop owner said after she finished fitting Callie into the tenth dress she tried on in her shop.

Callie turned around and gasped when she saw her reflection. This was it. She finally found it. She could feel tears spring to her eyes out of happiness and relief. She was starting to think she wasn't going to find a dress today. It had been a long, exhausting day. She made it through lunch without Cristina or Mark embarrassing her. She came up with an excuse for her absence, saying she wasn't feeling well. Luckily, no one questioned her further. They went to three more stores and decided that this one was going to be their last stop for the day, since it was getting late and they were now an hour away from home. She ran her hands over the smooth bodice and grinned. Arizona was going to love this on her. "Maria, can you go get my family?"

"Yes, ma'am." Maria smiled. She loved that moment when a bride finds her perfect dress.

"Calliope, you look gorgeous." Lucia said in awe when she saw her daughter. She has never seen her look more radiant.

"Do you like it?"

"Mija, it's perfect." Lucia stepped onto the platform Callie was standing on and wrapped her arms around her in a strong hug. "Arizona is a very lucky woman."

"Thank you, Mama." Callie beamed and looked at the rest of her friends and family. "So?"

"Cal, I don't even know what to say. Blondie is going to die when she sees you."

"Auntie Callie, you look really pretty." Alexa said from Mark's arms. She was sleeping in his lap when Maria came to get them. "Aunt Zona will love it."

"You approve Lex?"

Alexa nodded. "Can we go home now?"

"Yes, you can go home." Callie laughed. She turned back to the mirror and smiled at herself. She was sure that this dress was made for her. As she watched herself sway in the perfect dress, it finally hit her that she was getting married. It didn't really seem real before. Now here she was standing in the dress she would be wearing when she commits herself to the love of her life in front of all her friends and family. Her smile grew impossibly wider as she thought about Arizona. She couldn't wait to spend forever with her.

* * *

Arizona frowned when she checked the price of the dress she had on. She looked back in the mirror and smiled again. It was perfect. No, it was more than perfect. It was the first one she saw when they walked into the small boutique her mom brought them to. She had to put it on right away.

"Baby girl, you okay in there?" Barbara called into the dressing area. Her daughter had actually showed some excitement toward a dress and both her and Teddy were anxious to see it.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Arizona continued to stare at herself in the mirror. She knew without a doubt that this was the dress she wanted to marry Callie in. Her parents insisted on paying for the dress themselves and she didn't want them to spend too much on it. This dress definitely qualified as too much. She never thought she'd be that girl who couldn't live without a certain wedding dress, but the more she looked at herself in it and the more she thought about Callie seeing her in it for the first time, the more she was thinking she needed it.

"Zona?" Teddy knocked on the door. "You're not disappearing on us again, are you?"

"No, you can come in." Arizona said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Teddy's mouth dropped when she opened the door. "Arizona, you look amazing. This has to be the dress."

"It is."

"Why do you sound so sad about it? Shouldn't you be jumping up and down and squealing and stuff? That's what they do on tv."

"Teds, it's thousands of dollars. I can't make my parents pay for this."

"Zona, you have to get it. It's almost freaky how perfect it is for you."

"I know..." Arizona looked at her reflection again and grinned. "What do I do? I have to get it."

"Can't you just buy it? Didn't Callie say to get whatever your little heart desires, no matter the cost?"

"Yeah, but my parents really wanted to be the ones to buy me my dress, since Callie's parents are paying for pretty much everything else."

"Well then technically this is a good deal, since they're saving money on the wedding."

"Teddy... that's not how it works."

"Why not?" Teddy looked at her friend in the dress again. "You need this. I'll pay for half of it if I have to."

"That's very generous of you, but not necessary." Arizona could afford it herself. Well, Callie could afford it. Arizona couldn't even afford to pay for her shoes. Callie insisted that once they're married her money was both of their money. Something the blonde was having a hard time feeling comfortable with. She was trying though. Maybe she could lie about the price and cover the rest herself. No, she'd never lie to her parents. They'd figure something out. "Let's go show my mom."

"Are you sure? Once you show her, there's no turning back. She's going to love it too."

"I'm sure." Arizona smiled and opened the door. They walked together to the waiting area where they left Barbara. The older Robbins immediately burst into tears when she saw her daughter. "Mom are you okay?"

"I'm great, baby girl." Barbara sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You're so beautiful. When did you get so grown up?"

"Do you like it?"

"It's the dress, Arizona. Of course I like it. We're getting this one, right?"

"I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know? We're getting it." Barbara waved for the shop owner to come over. "My daughter has found her dress."

"Ah, very good. She's going to be a stunning bride." The man smiled. "If you want to join me in the back, I'll measure you for the alterations."

"Mom, no. It's too much." Arizona was feeling guilty again.

"Nonsense, butterfly. Your father and I set aside a good amount for this, so don't worry about it." Barbara didn't care how much it was. All she cared about was how happy her daughter looked when she first came out of the dressing room.

"I can't help it."

"Arizona, go back there and get fitted. I don't want to argue with you about this. We're buying you that dress and that's final."

"You don't even know how much it is yet."

"Did you not just hear me? Get back there."

"Yes, ma'am." Arizona turned around and smiled when she caught her reflection in the mirror across the room.

"Callie is a lucky woman." Barbara said when she saw her daughter smile. Arizona looked at her mom and nodded before looking back in the mirror. She couldn't believe that this was it. That this was the dress. Her heart fluttered as she thought about the day she would make Callie her wife.

* * *

Callie couldn't sleep again. Her bed felt too empty and the quietness of the house was suffocating. Around three in the morning she gave up and got out of bed. In fifteen hours she'd see Arizona again. She just had to get through a day of work and a long drive to the airport. She hasn't talked to her since their steamy conversation earlier and it was killing her. She went downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee and brought it back upstairs to their art room so she could start on a painting she's been thinking about doing. Without turning on the light, Callie set the mug down on her desk and went to the window to open it. She inhaled deeply as the cool breeze gently caressed her face and closed her eyes to let the song of crickets mixed with the faraway rhythmic croaking of frogs surround her. She opened them again when she heard the faint sound of crunching gravel. Callie looked out over the long moonlit driveway and saw a car without its lights on slowly approaching the house. She could tell it was trying to go unnoticed, but whoever it was didn't count on her being awake at this time of night and happen to be looking out the window. She should probably be worried, but her instincts told her there was no danger. An ear to ear smile crept across her face when she saw it was an airport shuttle. That only could mean one thing, Arizona was home early. Her smiled grew larger when the car came to a stop and her fiancée stepped out. Not able to hold in her excitement anymore, she ran out of the room and down the stairs. She threw the door open just as Arizona stepped on to the porch. The blonde dropped her luggage and launched herself into Callie's arms. They hugged each other tightly until Arizona pulled back and placed her lips on the brunette's in a passionate kiss. They tried to show each other how much they missed one another in their kiss. "God, I've missed you." Callie said against the blonde's swollen lips.

"I've missed you too." Arizona squeezed Callie tighter. She never wanted to let go again.

"What are you doing here? I would have came and picked you up."

"We got done shopping early and I didn't want to spend another night without you. Why are you up?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"I couldn't sleep either." Arizona could definitely sleep now though. After a night with no sleep, a day of shopping, and a million hours on a plain, she was more than ready for bed.

"So..." Callie grinned. "Does that mean you found your dress."

"I did." Arizona grinned back. "Did you?"

"Yeah, I can't wait for you to see it."

"I can't wait for you to see mine."

"Only six more months."

"Six long months."

"You feel really good." Callie said as she held Arizona in her arms. "Don't leave me ever again."

"Never. Next time you're coming with me."

"Why did we think this was a good idea in the first place again?"

"We thought it would be healthy to spend some time apart."

"We're idiots."

"We are." Arizona laughed. "Can we go to bed now? I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, let's go." Callie linked their fingers and pulled Arizona upstairs. She helped the blonde out of her clothes and into bed. She crawled in behind her and hugged her close. She never wanted to let her go again. "I love you, Mariposa."

"I love you too." Arizona said as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

"Thank you for coming back to me."

"Calliope, I'll always come back to you."

"Do you think that maybe we could do that dressing room thing again, but not over the phone." Callie asked quietly after awhile. She wasn't even sure of the blonde was still awake.

"Excuse me?" Arizona flipped her body around to face a sheepish looking Callie. "Why do you look embarrassed?"

"It's silly." Callie tried to turn around, but Arizona held her in place.

"Tell me."

"It's kind of always been a fantasy of mine." Callie buried her face in her pillow. She's never admitted that out loud.

"What? Having sex in a dressing room?" Arizona saw Callie nod into her pillow and grinned. She was so down for that. She shifted so she could use her hands to move Callie's head so the brunette was facing her. "Calliope, look at me." She waited for her brown eyes to meet hers. "Don't be embarrassed to tell me all your fantasies. I'll do my best to make them happen."

"Really?"

"Have I ever turned you down before?"

"No..." Callie grinned. They have always had great sexual chemistry. She couldn't wait to explore that further. "What about you? Any fantasies you want me to fulfill?"

"Oh yeah, lots." Arizona chewed on her lower lip and nodded.

"Why haven't we talked about this before?" Callie asked while sitting up. She was wide awake now.

"It never came up?" Arizona sat up to face Callie.

"Are you going to tell me any of them?"

"Well..." Arizona avoided Callie's eye contact. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Babe, it's just me." Callie grabbed Arizona's hands and held them between her own. "You can tell me anything, you know. I'd never judge you."

"I know." Arizona smiled. "We've already checked in my office and in your thunderbird off my list."

"You have a list?" Callie raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You don't?" Arizona asked just as surprised as the brunette.

"Kind of, I guess. Just in my head."

"That's where mine is too."

"How about we write them down and then exchange them."

"I think I could do that."

"You have to tell me one now, because already done doesn't count. I told you one of mine." Callie licked her lips in anticipation as she waited for the blonde to answer. Arizona never failed to surprise her and there was no guessing what could come out on her mouth.

"Role playing." Arizona finally said.

"What kind of role playing?" Callie frowned. That could mean almost anything.

"Use your imagination, Calliope."

"I'll see what I can do." Callie smiled. She leaned forward and kissed Arizona lightly on the lips. They were both tired and she didn't want to push it further tonight. She laid down on her back and opened her arms. Arizona smiled as she settled herself into Callie again. She closed her eyes and released a happy sigh. No matter where she was in the world, as long as she was in Callie's arms she was home. She only had one thought as she drifted off to sleep.

_It felt so damn good to be home._

* * *

**And that's all I have to say about that.**


	40. Chapter 36

**A few days ago I caught the death flu or something. I couldn't even function, so now I'm behind on basically everything now. It totally wiped me out. I'm feeling a bit better, so here you go. **

**This chapter... ummm, yeah. May have veered off course a bit. I'm sorry. I blame my still foggy brain. It's another chapter I'm not counting as one of the final ones, so think of it as a bonus. **

* * *

Callie looked over the list Arizona gave her a couple of months ago. It was long. Really long. She had no idea her fiancée had that much of an adventurous side, but it also didn't surprise her at all, since it has come out every once in awhile. It was Arizona's birthday tomorrow and Callie was determined to check off as many of these as she could and maybe a couple of her own while they were at it. She just needed a plan. She jumped and shoved the list in her pocket when Mark came bursting through her office door uninvited. "Mark! Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"What are you doing in here?"

"It's private."

"When had you ever been private with me?"

"Since Arizona happened."

"So it's something dirty, huh?" Mark grinned. "Now you have to tell me more."

"No, Mark. Not going to happen." Arizona specifically told her not to share this with anyone and she was going to keep her promise not to. "If you're going to keep looking at me like that, then you can leave."

"Like what?"

"Like you're thinking dirty things about Arizona and me. It's disgusting."

"I was not!"

"Mark, why did you come in here?" Callie sighed. She was not in the mood to deal with him right now.

"I wanted to start planning your bachelorette party."

"That's four months away." Callie smiled. They made it over the halfway mark and she was getting even more excited every day. They were almost done planning. Arizona just had a couple of things left to take care of.

"It has to be epic. I need time to plan."

"Shouldn't you be planning this with Cristina?"

"Are you kidding? Have you met her?"

"I don't even want a party."

"What?! This is the most important party of our lives. I've been looking forward to this my whole life."

"Do whatever, I don't care. Just tell me when and where to show up and I might be there."

"Thanks Cal!" Mark jumped up and left the office before his friend could change her mind. Callie rolled her eyes when he left and took the list back out of her pocket. She grinned as she reread it. She's read it a million times and it still excited her. She stuck it back in her pocket got up to leave. She had some shopping to do.

* * *

"Alex, did you go in for your tux fitting yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Alex, come on! Callie is going to kill both of us if you don't get it done." Arizona was getting tired of her fiancée hounding her every night about this. Like if he didn't go right this second every tux in the world is going to disappear.

"I'm sorry, Boss. I've been busy."

"Don't make me hold your hand and take you, because I will just to get Callie off my back."

"Let me go early and I'll do it today."

"No, I need you here. Go on Monday."

"But that's my day off."

"Exactly." Arizona rolled her eyes.

"Arizona!" April yelled from the front.

"Yeah?!"

"There's a delivery for you!"

"Can't you bring it back here?!"

"He says it has to be you who signs for it!"

"Hold on!" Arizona scowled as she wiped the flour on her hands onto her apron. "Alex, finish these loaves please." She said before rolling up front. "George?"

"Here." George handed her a gift bag that had been stapled and taped shut across the top. "Sign this so I can give it to Callie."

"What is this?" Arizona took the paper he was holding out to her and unfolded it. _By signing on the line below, Arizona Robbins confirms that she received delivery of a purple gift bag. She also confirms that it had not been opened or tampered with in any way. She also promises to open it only in the privacy of her office without any witnesses. PS. I love you. _Arizona laughed at the note and checked the bag. It looked fine to her. She sighed the paper with her name and an I love you too and gave it back to George. "Thanks George." She went to her office and locked the door, just in case. She cut off the top of the bag with scissors and turned it upside down, spilling its contents all over her desk. She scrunched up her face in confusion when she saw the weird mix of things in front of her. She picked up the cobalt blue lump of soft material first and unfolded it. A piece of paper fell out of it and onto her lap. _Wear this tonight with the shoes and nothing else. _Arizona raised her eyebrows at the short dress and strappy heels. What did nothing else mean? They were supposed to go to Joes tonight for drinks for her birthday. She set the dress aside and picked up something soft and rolled up. When she unrolled it another note fell out._ For later ;) _Arizona's face flushed when she saw it was a set of leather cuffs attached to long ties. She threw those back in the bag along with a blindfold. It wasn't until she picked up a tube of massage oil and a set of body paints that she realized that Callie must be going through her list she gave her a couple of months ago. Tonight should be interesting.

* * *

"Did you give it to her?" Callie rushed George as soon as he walked back in the door of Evangeline's. He just rolled his eyes and handed her the paper. "Did you do her car?"

"Yes, Cal. Can I get back to my actual work now?" George asked as he handed her Arizona's spare car keys. He had no idea what she was up to and didn't want to know.

"Yeah, whatever." Callie said as she walked back to her office with a large smile. She was happy her plan was now set in motion.

* * *

"Did you book your tickets yet?" Arizona asked when she answered her phone.

"Well, hello to you too. And no, I'm waiting for your parents to book their's so we can do it together and be on the same flight."

"Teddy! Come on!" Arizona only had two jobs left for the wedding. Get Alex his tux and make sure Teddy and her parents booked their flights.

"It's four months away! Don't yell at me!"

"Pleeeease just do it. Then I can be done and actually enjoy being engaged."

"Okay, okay. I'll call your parents later."

"Thank you."

"I called you to wish you happy birthday, not to get yelled at."

"You know I don't do my birthday."

"I know you tell me that every year when I call you."

"And yet you never listen."

"What are you doing for it? Anything fun?"

"We're just going to Joes for drinks and then home." Arizona grinned. She was looking forward to the home part. She looked at the clock on her computer. "Actually, Teds, I need to go home and get ready to meet them over there."

"Try and have a good time, okay?"

"It's just another night at Joes. Why wouldn't I have a good time?"

"Bye Zona! Happy Birthday!"

"Bye!" Arizona hung up and picked up the bag Callie gave her. She grabbed her keys to lock up the bakery and went next door to see if Callie was ready to go home.

"She's not here!" Cristina yelled as soon as Arizona walked through the door.

"Maybe I'm here to see you." Arizona said sweetly just how Cristina hated.

"I hope not."

"Where did she go?" Arizona thought they were supposed to meet here.

"She's running an errand. She said she'll just meet you at Joes."

"Okay. Thanks." Arizona frowned. Maybe she got the plans wrong. "See you later."

"Cal! She's gone!" Cristina yelled towards the back when Arizona left.

"Was she mad?"

"I don't know. I wasn't looking at her."

"You're useless." Callie held out her hand. "Keys?"

"Why do you need my bike again?"

"Because I'm your boss and I said so."

"You're not doing anything kinky on it are you?" Cristina asked when she looked up and saw what Callie was wearing.

"Ew, no!" Callie was getting impatient. She had everything timed perfectly and Cristina wasn't helping. "Cris, keys! You already said yes the other day."

"Do I get the keys to yours?"

"Why? You can walk to Joes."

"It's only fair."

"Fine, they're in my top desk drawer. If you even scratch it, I'll kill you." Callie said as Cristina handed over her keys. "I'll see you later."

"You break it, you buy it!" Cristina yelled as Callie disappeared out the back door.

* * *

The dress Callie picked out for Arizona fit her perfectly. It didn't surprise the blonde, since Callie probably knew her body better than she did now. She decided to put her hair up and go with just mascara and some lip gloss, just like Callie liked her. Once she approved herself in the mirror, she said goodbye to Sonny and walked out the door to her car. When she was halfway down the road between her house and the main road, her car started sputtering. "What? No, no, no." Arizona sighed as she rolled to a stop on the side of the road. Callie was not going to be happy with her. This wasn't the first time she's run out of gas and left herself stranded. Or even the second, third, or fourth time. For some reason she had a hard time paying attention to the gauge. She could have sworn she had plenty this morning though. She pulled out her phone to call Callie for help, but she didn't answer. "Crap." She could walk back home, but she wasn't wearing the right shoes and she wasn't about to do it barefoot. It was also dark, creepy, and there were all kinds of animals lurking around out here. After trying Callie again she called everyone else she could think of. Everybody seemed to be ignoring their phones tonight. Either that or they were just ignoring her. She decided to wait and try again in a few minutes. She hit the back of her head against the headrest a few times. "This sucks." She pouted. "Happy birthday to me."

* * *

Callie felt like she reached stalker status as she sat there watching her own house from a distance. She was waiting for Arizona to leave. If her calculations were correct, which they were, Arizona's car should die at about the halfway point between here and the main road. As long as George didn't screw it up. She knew it was a weird request, but she also knew George would never ask questions. She grinned, when she saw Arizona exit the house. Even in the dark with the moonlight as the only source of light, she could see that her partner looked beautiful. She waited for the Mini to disappear down the street before following without turning on her headlights. When she saw break lights in the distance, she pulled over and waited. Her phone started vibrating soon after. She ignored Arizona's call and waited again. When it rang a second time she moved closer to the stranded vehicle. Cristina's bike was much quieter than hers, so she hoped the blonde didn't hear her approach and even if she did, she probably wouldn't recognize the sound of it, like she would Callie's. She parked at a reasonable distance and dismounted the bike. She unzipped the coveralls she was wearing and tied the arms around her waist. She could see Arizona's face lit up from her phone inside her car. She was probably trying to get someone to help her, but what the blonde didn't know was that everyone was under strict orders not to answer her calls. When she put her phone down and started hitting her head against the seat, Callie banged on the window. She had a hard time not laughing when Arizona screamed. "Callie! You scared the crap out of me!" Arizona said as she rolled down the window. "Where did you come from?" She looked up and down the street. She didn't see any way for her to get there.

"Car trouble ma'am?" Callie couldn't keep the mischievous grin off her face.

"Calliope, what?" Arizona noticed that Callie was wearing a tight fitting low cut white see through tank top sans bra that left very little to the imagination. She may as well have not been wearing a shirt at all. She had a red bandana wrapped around her head, that matched the lipstick she was wearing perfectly. Arizona leaned out of the window to see she was also wearing loose fitting coveralls with the arms knotted at her waist. "What are the heck are you wearing?"

"What seems to be the problem?" If Arizona didn't catch on quick, this was just going to get awkward. She watched as the blonde looked her up and down again, as if trying to decide something.

"I think I ran out of gas." Arizona finally said. She didn't know what Callie was up to, but she was definitively intrigued.

"We'll lucky for you, a mechanic always comes prepared."

"That is lucky." Arizona smiled. Now she got it. She watched as Callie stepped away from her window and looked at her expectantly. She figured that was her cue to get out of the car. She opened the door and stood up, towering above the brunette in her new heels. Callie switched places with her, making sure to run her hand over Arizona's ass in the process. She sat down and tried to start the car. When it didn't do anything, she got back out. Arizona was still standing close and the front of their bodies ended up flush against each other.

"I think you're right about the gas." Callie said looking up into Arizona's curious blue eyes. The blonde's body this close to hers was making her crazy. She took a step to the left to get away from her before she lost the little control that she had. She disappeared behind the car, where she had left a small gas can she brought with her. Arizona followed her and rolled her eyes when she saw what she had. Callie unscrewed the gas cap and started filling the tank. "So where you headed?"

"I'm supposed to be meeting my fiancée and friends for drinks."

"I think you're going to be late."

"I find myself not caring." Arizona grinned and took a step forward. Callie looked incredibly hot in her little get up. "I like the present company much better."

"You know, a pretty lady like yourself, dressed like that should really be more careful about getting herself stranded out in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anyone for miles and someone could come along and take advantage."

"Who says I don't want to be taken advantage of?" Arizona stepped closer so that her front was now pressed to Callie's back as she continued to fill the tank. The smell of gasoline filled the air around them. Callie dropped the plastic gas can on the ground and spun around. She grabbed Arizona's shoulders to turn her around to face the car. She used her body to pin the blonde's front to the passenger side door. The blonde blinked in surprise. The change of position happened so quickly, she didn't even get a chance to fight it. She felt Callie's hands sliding lightly down her arms and shuddered at the touch.

"Put your hands against the car." Callie demanded in her ear before backing off just enough to give her room. Callie grinned when Arizona obeyed her immediately. "Spread your legs."

"What are you doing?" Arizona asked when the brunette yanked her dress over her hips.

"I see you followed my instructions." Callie ran her hands across Arizona's firm stomach and grabbed her naked hips, pulling them into her body.

"Not here." Arizona tried to turn around, but her fiancées firm grip on her made it impossible. She had her bent over just enough that if Arizona tried to move her arms, she'd fall forward.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Callie moved her left hand further up the dress, landing on Arizona's erect nipple. She pinched it between her thumb and finger. she smirked when the blonde moaned.

"I thought... the car." Arizona gasped when Callie roughly pinched her other nipple. It was very difficult to be reasonable when Callie was making her feel this good.

"It's too small." Last time they tried that didn't work out so well.

"Anyone can drive by at anytime."

"Then we better hurry." Callie knew that anyone passing by right now was very unlikely.

"Then hurry up and touch me." Arizona was already so aroused. She knew it wouldn't take long. If only Callie would touch her where she needed it most. She ground her ass into Callie's center, hoping to make her as crazy as the brunette was making her.

"I am touching you." Callie said as she ran her hands back down Arizona's stomach, stopping just above her mound.

"Lower."

"Here?" Callie slid her hand between the blonde's legs.

"Yeah." Arizona bit her bottom lip and spread her legs wider in anticipation. She bucked forward in surprise when Callie immediately started circling her throbbing clit. She couldn't stop the loud moans that spilled from her lips when the brunette picked up speed.

"What would your fiancée think if she knew you were out here being fucked while she was sitting there waiting for you?"

"Wha?" Whatever Callie was saying didn't make any sense in Arizona's lust filled mind.

"Nevermind." Callie smiled. She knew Arizona was already too far gone to comprehend anything. She continued to circle the blonde's clit with one hand and palmed her breasts with the other. She could tell by Arizona's ragged breathing that she was getting close.

"Cal-" Arizona felt her climax already approaching. It was almost embarrassing at how easy she was tonight.

"I know." Callie wrapped her free arm around Arizona's front to keep her steady as an orgasm ripped through the shaking blonde's body. She was pretty sure they just broke their old record for fastest climax. She removed her other hand from between her legs and hugged her fiancée from behind as she waited for her to catch her breath and come down from her high. When she was sure Arizona could stand up by herself, she let go and backed away.

"Where are you going?" Arizona turned around and watched as Callie backed further and further away from her.

"Have a good night, ma'am." Callie grinned and turned around. She jogged to Cristina's hidden bike and jumped on. She had to beat Arizona to Joes so she could change and join their friends before she got there. Arizona covered her eyes when a bright headlight suddenly turned on and shined in her eyes. Callie slowly rode up next to her and stopped. She leaned over for a quick kiss. "Check your glovebox." She said before speeding off down the road.

"Oh my god." Arizona laughed as she watched Callie disappear. She stood in the middle of the street as she tried to wrap her mind around what just happened. She shook her head as she readjusted her dress. When she got back into her car, she opened the glovebox to find a new lacy matching bra and panties set and breathed a sigh of relief. She wiggled into them and after a couple of attempts to start her car, she was back on her way to Joes.

* * *

"Nice of you to show up to your own party." Cristina said to Arizona when she approached their table.

"I'm sorry, I got a little detoured on the way here." Arizona focused her attention on her fiancée who was trying to look as innocent as possible with her full red lips wrapped around a straw. The effect just made her look insanely sexy, which did not help the blonde's still raging libido. Callie was now dressed in her normal jeans and tshirt ensemble, but still had the red bandana wrapped around her head like a headband. Arizona stepped up close to the brunette. "I liked the other outfit better." She whispered into her ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Callie set her drink down and turned in her stool to face Arizona. "Happy birthday." She grinned before leaning over for a heated kiss.

"Oh come on. I did not fly to this podunk town all the way from New York to watch you two suck face."

Arizona ripped her lips away from Callie's and whipped around to see her best friend rolling her eyes at her. "Teddy!" She threw her arms around her friends neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Duh, Zona. It is your birthday."

"I just talked to you and you were in New York."

"No I wasn't, I was in Callie's office. By the way, she already yelled at me about the ticket thing."

"I did not yell!" Callie laughed. She had heard Teddy's end of her conversation with Arizona earlier. "I just want everything to be done."

"Yeah she made me go on her computer and buy them right after I talked to you." Teddy leaned over to whisper in Arizona's ear. "She sure is demanding."

"I heard that." Callie glared at Teddy.

"And kind of scary."

"Good, now I can check that off my list." Arizona turned to Alex. "It's just you left."

"I already made an appointment for Monday. Calm down, Boss."

"Was that so hard?"

"Yes." Alex got up and headed for the bar.

"Really that's it and you're all ready to go?" Teddy asked.

"Yup." Arizona smiled at Callie. Now all they had to do was wait.

"No! There are still bachelorette parties to plan." Mark said. He was not going to let this slide, no matter what Callie said.

"Oh yeah!" Teddy clapped her hands together in excitement. "Where do you want to go? Vegas? New York? LA?"

"Teds, I already told you I don't want anything."

"That's what I told Mark too." Callie ignored the look of disappointment on her best friend's face.

"Zona, really?"

"Maybe you and Mark should just go party together." Arizona laughed. She didn't understand what the big deal was.

"Cals, you said I could do something. You can't change your mind now." Mark already had a plan he was excited about.

"Yeah, yeah fine." Callie rolled her eyes. "Nothing too crazy, Sloan."

"If he gets to plan something, then I get to too."

"Fine, Teddy. But something low key here. I'm not going to Vegas or New York or anything."

"Low key bachelorette party? Is there such thing?"

"Teddy!"

"Fine! Where's Karev? We need to start planning now." Teddy turned around to see Alex coming back from the bar. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away before he could protest.

"Should we be scared?" Arizona asked Callie.

"Probably." Callie stood up. "Let's go get you a birthday drink."

"I'd like that." Arizona smiled. "Wait." She grabbed Callie's arm to spin her around and kissed her softly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For the best birthday ever."

"It's nowhere near over yet, babe." Callie grinned.

_In fact, it's barely begun. _

* * *

**Wedding coming up very soon. I've already had their vows written for like a month. One of the first things I did for this thing. **

**Am I the only one who actually liked the premiere of Greys? ETA: Okay, so I'm not the only one. That makes me happy. **


	41. Chapter 37 Part One: Just one month

**It was either have you guys wait until tomorrow night for the entire chapter or give you half tonight and then the other half tomorrow. I wasn't sure what you guys would want, I went ahead and made an executive decision. Here's the first half of chapter 37.**

**I just want to take a second and thank you guys for all of your reviews. I haven't had as much time lately to individually reply like I used to and that makes me sad.**

* * *

Just one month. Only one measly little month and Callie would be able call Arizona her wife. Everything for the wedding was ready. It has been for weeks now, leaving Callie with nothing else to do but wait. She has never been the most patient person when it came to waiting for something she really wanted. She has been filling the time with work, continuing to mend her relationship with her parents, hanging out with their friends, and spending every possible second with her future wife. She and Arizona had also devoted a lot of time to helping Aria out with their new baby niece, since she has already been through five nannies. Not that either woman minded, they were both utterly in love with the chubby little girl. On the night of Arizona's birthday party, Callie got a phone call from a frantic Dana telling her that Aria had gone into labor and they were on their way to the hospital. Aria had just fired their latest nanny that night and their parents were out of town, leaving no one to watch Alexa. Callie and Arizona didn't hesitate to jump in the car, but quickly realized they shouldn't be driving after the few drinks they already consumed. Luckily April had not been drinking and was able to drive them to the hospital. When they got there they found a haggard Dana pacing in the waiting room with a hyper Alexa running around in circles singing in Spanish at the top of her lungs. She was excited to meet her new baby sister soon and her nanny let her have cake for dessert, so she was having the time of her life. Dana disappeared as soon as they got there, wanting to be with his wife as soon as possible. Arizona entertained the little girl with games she learned while growing up in her parents bakery and Callie went to stay with her sister. Unlike Alexa's long and grueling labor, this one was fast and easy and at exactly 11:58PM, baby Daniela Lucia Torres Rodriguez was born. Arizona was beyond thrilled that she got to share her birthday with her new niece. For the second time that night, she declared it the best birthday ever. Callie's heart melted when she saw the baby sleeping in her fiancées arms for the first time. The blonde was a natural and it made Callie want one with this woman even more. It was a subject she hasn't brought up again yet. She decided to wait until after the wedding to begin that discussion. The rest of her birthday plans for Arizona were cancelled when they offered to let Alexa stay at their house so Dana could stay at the hospital with his wife and new daughter. Alexa completely forgot about her sister when she heard she got to have a sleepover at her favorite aunts' house. Apparently that was higher on the little girl's priority list. That was three months ago and the brunette has more than made up for Arizona's cancelled birthday plans. Callie smiled at herself in the mirror at the memories as she secured the knot of her dress in place around her neck. She didn't need to have any wardrobe malfunctions tonight. All she needed was some accessories and her shoes and then she'd be ready. "Have you seen my other earring?!" Callie asked as she dug through her top dresser drawer. "Arizona!"

"Callie?" Arizona turned off her blow dryer and turned towards the open bathroom door. She wasn't sure if she heard her named being called or if she imagined it.

"Arizona!" Callie called again.

"What?!"

"Have you seen my other earring?" Callie pulled the drawer out of the dresser and dumped it on the bed to spread the contents out.

"Which earring?"

"This one."

"I can't see you, Calliope."

"Then come out here!"

"Hold on." Arizona grabbed a towel off a rack and wrapped it around her naked body. "You know, if you would just keep your jewelry more organized like I've told you the other hundred times you panicked over a lost earring, we wouldn't be going through this again." Arizona paused when she saw the mess Callie made all over their unmade bed. "Really, Calliope?"

"I don't need a lecture right now. Mark's going to be here any minute and if I'm not ready he's going to whine. Do you really want to listen to him whine?" Callie looked up to see her fiancée dressed only in the smallest towel they own. She was sure she did that on purpose. "Arizona, why are you doing this to me?"

"Doing what?" Arizona asked innocently. She knew exactly what and couldn't keep the impish grin off her face as she let her towel 'accidentally' drop to the floor. "Your earring isn't on my breasts, Calliope."

"You're mean." It took everything Callie had to stay on the safe side of the bed. As long as it was in between them, she should be fine.

"I'm just trying to make sure you have this picture in your head all night tonight. Don't want you to forget who you're marrying."

"Are you kidding? It's in my head most of the time and I'd never forget." Callie tore her eyes away from Arizona's body and started digging through the pile of earrings again. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Why can't you just wear different ones?"

"Because these ones go with my mood and you gave them to me."

"You lost a present I gave you?"

"No, temporarily misplaced." Callie frowned. It definitely wasn't here, maybe she did lose it. She could feel Arizona inching closer, but ignored her.

"You look amazing, Calliope." Callie was wearing a black halter dress that clung to her chest, stomach, and waist, but flowed out at her hips and stopped right at her knees. Her hair was swept up in a loose up do and her makeup was smoky, highlighting her large, currently distressed, chocolaty eyes. "You don't need those earrings."

"But, I do." Callie pouted. She wanted to wear them.

"Calliope! You can't wear this dress tonight!" Arizona gasped when she snuck up behind Callie and saw that her dress was completely backless down to the base of her spine. It was only being held up by the knot around her neck.

"Uh oh, someone's jealous." Callie smirked. She looked hot and she knew it. She inhaled sharply when she felt Arizona press her naked breasts against her bare back. "Arizona! Stop distracting me."

"I'm not jealous. I just don't want other people staring at you and if you wear this they definitely will be staring. I'm not going to be there to glare daggers at them." Arizona said as she rested her hands on Callie's hips. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because Mark and Teddy love us and we love them."

"I'm not so sure about that right now." Arizona squeezed Callie's hips tighter before spinning her around to face her. "You look so beautiful. I just want to marry you right this second."

"Only one more month, Mariposa." Callie planted her perfectly painted red lips on Arizona's for a brief kiss. She pulled away when Arizona tried to deepen it. "You can wait."

"No, I really don't think I can." Arizona sighed when she heard the door downstairs slam. "We really should lock that."

"Torres! Let's get this party started!" Mark yelled from the bottom of the stairs. He was banned from going up them after the last time he accidentally caught them doing something that wasn't very innocent.

"He'd just find another way in. Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised Teddy hasn't come pounding on the door yet."

"Zona!" *bang, bang, bang* "We're leaving in twenty, you better not still be naked in there!" Teddy yelled through the door.

"Yeah, definitely not feeling the love." Arizona looked over Callie's shoulder at the bed and shook her head in amusement. She moved Callie out of the way and picked up an earring. "Here's your missing earring."

"No, that's the one I already had."

"No, the one you already had is already is in your ear." Arizona said as she flicked it.

"Oh." Callie smiled sheepishly as she held out her hand. "Thanks."

"Do you know where Mark's taking you tonight?" Arizona asked as she went to riffle through their closet for something to wear. She really should have chosen something sooner. Their wedding was still a month out, but tonight was the only night that all their friends could do their bachelorette parties and both women insisted on all their friends being there. It was their only request, other than don't go crazy.

"No, he just said wear something I can dance in. So, I'm guessing we're going dancing."

"Probably a pretty good guess."

"Where's Teddy taking you?"

"I have no idea. She didn't give me any instructions other than be ready at eight and look hot."

"This sucks, I just want to spend tonight with you." Callie put on a pair of black strappy heels and stood up to test them out. They were comfortable and should not kill her feet after a couple of hours of dancing.

"I know, me too."

"Torres!" Mark yelled again.

"I guess I better go." Callie stepped into the closet to give her fiancée a lingering kiss goodbye. "You behave yourself tonight."

"You too." They gave each other one last kiss before Callie turned to leave. They trusted each other fully, so they knew nothing crazy would happen. It was their friends they worried about. Callie opened her door to find Teddy and Mark waiting right outside. "Sloan, I thought we talked about this?"

"She said I could." Mark pointed at Teddy. "You look great by the way."

"Thanks. Can we get this over with?"

"You're the unhappiest bachelorette I've ever seen."

"No, I think Arizona is." Teddy said when her sulking beat friend stepped into view behind Callie. "Come on you guys, you can survive one night out without each other. It's going to be fun. You have to trust us."

"I just don't like surprises, you know that Teds."

"I know, I know." Teddy rolled her eyes. "Why aren't you dressed? Unless you plan on wearing that robe out tonight?"

"I'm working on it."

"Work harder." Teddy gave Callie a satisfied smile when Arizona huffed and disappeared back into their closet.

"Cal, we have to go." Mark grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the stairs to his waiting car before she had a chance to stop him.

"Where is everybody else?" Callie asked when she saw the empty SUV.

"There meeting us at our first destination."

"There's more than one?"

"Kind of."

"Mark, come on. Where are you taking me? I feel like I'm being kidnapped."

"Can't kidnap the willing." Mark grinned and started the car. His plan wasn't exactly his ideal kind of bachelorette party, but he knew his best friend was going to love it.

"Do I look very willing to you?" Callie gave him an annoyed look.

"You look like someone who is about to have a great night."

* * *

"Teddy, I said no stupid accessories!" Arizona swatted the tiara and sash her best friend and April were trying to force on her.

"But then how is everyone going to know you're the bachelorette?"

"You guys know, that's all that matters." Arizona ripped the tiara out of Teddy's hand and through it out the window of the moving car.

"Zona!"

"Teddy!"

"Will you at least wear this?" Teddy held up a pink bracelet that said BRIDE in bold black letters.

"Fine, I'll compromise with that." Arizona took the rubber bracelet out of her hand and looked around at her friends. They all were wearing similar bracelets, but theirs said TEAM BRIDE. "Alex how did they talk you into wearing that?"

"It was better than the matching tshirts they wanted to get. You should really thank me for stopping them." Alex steered his truck onto a side road and pulled up to a lathe gate. He entered the code Mark had given him and waited for it to open.

"Oh no! No, no, no!" Arizona recognized where they were immediately. She's been here a few times before. She and Callie flew back and forth from here to New York for Arizona's final dress fittings, they had taken a short trip to Santa Monica just for fun, and there was that trip to New York when Arizona had to face her brother's murderers. She had mixed emotions about this small airport. "Teddy, I told you no trips!"

"No, you said no Vegas or New York. We're not going to either of those places."

"I said no to anything."

"Hmm… I don't remember that part."

"Of course you don't." Arizona was sandwiched between Teddy and April in the small backseat of Alex's truck with Lexie in the front. She was sure they did that on purpose, so she couldn't escape. "I didn't even pack anything!"

"No need to. It's only like a forty five minute flight. We'll have you back at home before daylight."

"Will you tell me where we're going now?" Arizona asked sweetly, since being forceful or begging hasn't worked yet.

"Nope."

Arizona glared at Teddy before turning to watch as one of the small planes the private airport housed took off next to them. Alex drove further down the runway and stopped outside of another thing Arizona recognized. "Does Callie's dad know you're stealing his plane?"

"Of course. And we're just borrowing it." Teddy opened her door and hopped out of the lifted truck, her heels and short dress making it difficult. Everyone else followed and stood outside the small jet awkwardly. Except for Arizona, none of them were used to travelling like this and weren't sure what to do. They watched as two jovial men approached them.

"Hi Chuck. Hi John." Arizona greeted the pilots. "Are you guys going to tell me where you're taking me?"

"No can do, Ms. Robbins. We're under strict orders from Mr. Torres not to." Chuck smiled. "But you are welcome to board now. There is already champagne waiting for you and your guests."

"Hear that? You all are my guests, so you better treat me right." Arizona said as they walked up the stairs into the plane.

"Since we are your guests, you're more obligated to treat us right." Teddy countered.

"Crap." Teddy had Arizona there. "Where's that champagne? I'm ready to drink."

* * *

"Okay, I have to admit. I'm getting excited." Callie said as their plane barreled down the runway. At first she was pissed when Mark pulled up to the airport. But after seeing all her friends dressed up and waiting, she decided to stop fighting it and enjoy the ride. She was even pleased by the tiara and sash Aria had thought to bring her.

"See, Cal? You just have to trust me."

"I don't know if I do yet. I still don't know where we're going."

"If this was a bad plan, do you really think Bailey would be here?"

"I'm shocked you got her to come." Callie whispered. She was pleasantly surprised when they pulled up and she saw their usually casually dressed piercer in a dress with her hair and makeup perfectly done.

"What can I say? I'm a miracle worker."

"Excuse me" Bailey cut into their conversation. "But that manboy promised me a husband and children free night of a good time and free drinks. All things that I need. He is no miracle worker."

"I'm really happy you're here, Bailey." Callie smiled to show she meant it. "I'm happy you're all here." She said as he looked at the faces scattered around the plane.

"He better just keep his promise." Bailey said, giving Mark a hard stare as she set back in her seat.

"Hey Sloan, where's Cupcake Girl?" Cristina thought Lexie would be with her boyfriend and was glad she wasn't.

"She's with Blondie. Her group isn't as big as Cals, so she opted to go with her, since they've been friends way longer than Lex and Cal have."

"Why didn't you go with them, Mer?" Callie asked.

"Are you kidding? I get enough of that sunshine and rainbows crap at work."

"So, what? It's just Teddy, Lexie, April, and Karev?" Callie felt bad, she had twice that many people at her party.

"Yup." Cristina snorted. "I bet they're going to Chuck E. Cheeses."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Callie jumped up in her seat and smacked Mark's arm. "Do you know where Teddy's taking her?"

"Nope."

"You do too!"

"I do not! Stop hitting me! You're not even drunk yet."

"Why not? Your dad doesn't supply alcohol on his plane?"

"No and I may have forgot to stock up." Mark was hoping she wouldn't notice. "I'm sorry. I'll get you something as soon as we land."

"Cris, I know you have something hidden somewhere." Callie turned in her seat to face Meredith and Cristina, who were sitting behind her and Mark.

"No, I don't." Cristina's eyes shifted to Meredith.

"Come on, it's my party. I thought you wanted me to have a good time."

"Fine." Cristina picked up the large pink sheet cake box she stole from the bakery. "Here. I was saving those for later."

"Cake?" Callie took the box and put it on her lap. She opened it and grinned in excitement. "Holy shit! I knew I could count on you, Yang."

"That's what real best friends do." Cristina smirked at Mark. He pretty much planned everything else. This was her only job and she rocked it.

"Why are these in one of Arizona's cake boxes?" Callie asked as she picked through the massive pile of jello shots to see what flavors there were. She grinned wider when she found her favorite. She really loved Cristina right now. The last time they had these together was when they graduated college.

"Much easier to sneak into the-" Cristina paused. She almost gave away their first destination. "Place were going."

"You're a genius." Callie picked up a strawberry one and sucked it it her mouth.

"Have you ever doubted that?" Cristina grabbed a lime one for herself and orange for Meredith. She made flavors to match every color of the rainbow. She thought is was lesbian bachelorette party appropriate.

"Anyone else?" Callie asked as she held up the box, trying not to spill it.

"Ooo! Purple!" Bailey stood up from her seat and grabbed a handful.

"I haven't had these since college." Addison said as she picked up two blue ones. "I think every bad hook up I ever had started out with jello shots."

"Oh god, mine too." Aria said and shook her head no at the offer.

"Aria!" Callie gasped. She's never heard anything like that come out of her prudish older sister's mouth.

"What? I was young, hot, and kidless once too, you know. College was good to me." Aria laughed at the dumbfounded look on Callie's face.

"You're still young and hot, Ari." Callie hoped she looked like that at her age and after two kids.

"No, I look like I just had a baby." Aria rubbed her stomach insecurely.

"Whatever, you look fine." Callie rolled her eyes. She jumped when her phone dinged loudly in her purse. She grinned when she saw it was from her fiancée.

**I'm being kidnapped on a plane!**

**Me too!**

**Do you know where you're going yet? I miss you =[**

**No clue. I miss you too.**

"Hey, no phones!" Mark grabbed Callie's phone and stuck it in his pocket. "You're pathetic. You haven't even been apart an hour."

"It was just my mom." Callie lied.

"Really?" Mark pulled the phone out when it dinged again. "Would your mom tell you that champagne makes her horny?" He laughed when Callie's eyes practically bugged out of her head.

"Give me that!" Callie grabbed his arm, making her phone fly out of his hand and across the plane. The sound of it crashing onto the floor made her cringe. She scrambled to pick it up and found that the screen was now shattered and useless. "Mark! You owe me a new phone!"

"That was not my fault."

"Give me yours. I have to tell Arizona my phone is broken now thanks to you."

"I said no phones. I'll tell her for you." He took his own phone out of his pocket and handed Callie another jello shot. "Here, sit down and eat that."

"Fine." Callie pouted as she sucked on her shot. "Damn, Cris. These are strong."

"Tastes fine to me." Cristina was working on her third one. Or was it her fifth?

"Me too." Meredith agreed with a firm nod.

"That's because you two idiots are alcoholics." Bailey said as she took more purple ones. "And these are delicious."

"You guys should probably slow down on those." Mark took the box and shut the lid. "Or I'll never get you off the plane."

"Party pooper." Callie stuck out her bottom lip even further and slouched further down in her seat.

* * *

"Teddy! Give me my phone back!"

"No, Zona. I said no phones allowed. Where did you even hide this? I checked your purse when you weren't looking."

"Wouldn't you like to know, Theodora?" Arizona said with a wink.

"Don't wink at me. It's creepy."

"I'm bored and you just took my fun away." Arizona slouched in her seat and pouted.

"We've barely been in the air for twenty minutes and we're almost there, so stop pouting."

"I what more of that almond champagne." Arizona sat up suddenly and looked around. "April! Pass that bottle."

"It's empty!" April said as she poured the rest of the bottle into her own glass, making Lexie giggle next to her. "Sorry, Boss." She said mocking Alex. Lexie laughed harder, making Arizona start up.

"Why do I feel like I'm chaperoning a junior high field trip all of a sudden?" Teddy rolled her eyes at the three giggling women.

"There's no champagne in junior high, Theodora!" Arizona guffawed and slapped Teddy's shoulder.

"Will you stop calling me that?"

"Why, Theodora? Isn't it your name Theodora?" Arizona said with a wicked grin. "I love you, Theodora."

"I hate you."

"Good! Then we can turn this plane around and go home, but I'm taking the almond champagne with me. This stuff is the best." Arizona retrieved another bottle from the cabinet John showed her and sat down next to Alex.

"No way. I enjoy torturing you too much and I think you're done with the champagne for now." Teddy reached over to try and take the bottle away, but the blonde held on.

"Alex help." Arizona shoved the bottle in his lap. "Open."

"I think Teddy is right, Boss." Alex was already getting annoyed with the women. He wished he was on Callie's plane with Mark, Owen, Joe, or even George would suffice for now.

"It's my party!" When Alex didn't make a move to open it she picked it up. "Fine, I'll find a way to to it myself."

"Arizona, be careful." Teddy warned. This was potential this would end in disaster. "Actually, give it to me. I'll open it."

"No, I'm doing it myself." Arizona didn't trust her best friend not to take it away. She peeled the foil away and threw it on the ground. Then she untwisted the wire and looked around. Her eyes lit up when they landed on an armrest.

"Zona! No!" Teddy could tell by the look in Arizona's eyes exactly what she was thinking of doing. She jumped up to stop her, but it was too late. The blonde smashed the tip of the bottle against the hard armrest, sending the cork flying and showering April and Lexie in the bubbly liquid. Everybody froze and the plane's cabin filled with silence. No one knew what to do or say. After a minute, Arizona slowly lowered the bottle to her side and glanced sideways at Teddy. Her friend had her hand clamped over her mouth, trying desperately not to laugh. Arizona focused her eyes on Lexie and April. They looked back at her with matching wide eyed expressions. Champagne dripped from their hair and down their faces and the front of their dresses were soaked. "I am so, so sorry!"

"Dude!" Alex stared laughing uncontrollably. "That was freakin hilarious." His laughter triggered Teddy's laugh, which triggered April and Lexie. Arizona glanced around guiltily before bursting out laughing herself. Teddy handed the two drenched women a stack of napkins and some water.

"Don't waste it!" April snatched the napkin Lexie was wiping her face with and licked her hand.

"Ew! Don't lick me!" Lexie took the napkin back. "Lick yourself."

"Boss, Papa Torres is going to kill you for making his plane all sticky."

"I'll just say Alexa did it." Arizona shrugged.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement."

"Why? Kids are sticky all the time. Totally believable. Plus she's got him wrapped around her little finger." Arizona was sure Alexa wouldn't mind being thrown under the bus, as long as she got cookies for it. The blonde hoped that this wasn't how she thought when she was sober.

"Okay, she's seven and probably doesn't drink champagne. She's not even here!" Teddy couldn't believe she'd actually blame her niece.

"Okay, then April did it."

"Hey! I'm the victim here."

"Alex?"

"You are not blaming me for this, Boss."

"Don't you even think about it." Teddy said when Arizona looked at her with pleading eyes.

"You guys are supposed to be my best friends."

"Sorry, Zona. You're all on your own."

"Tonight better be fun." Arizona plopped down in her seat and looked out the window. She plastered her face against it when she saw what they were approaching in the distance. "Oh my god, Teddy! This is amazing!"

* * *

"You know these purple ones actually taste like purple." Bailey said as she licked her lips. "The red ones taste like that cherry cough syrup my poor son has to take, the green ones taste limey, the yellow ones taste lemony-mony, the pink ones are strawberrylious, the orange ones taste like oranges, but the purple just taste like purple."

"And what exactly does purple taste like?" Callie chuckled in amusement at the rambling piercer.

"This." Bailey held up her empty shot cup. "I like purple."

"Blue tastes like vodka." Addison said. "I like vodka."

"What are the blue ones supposed to taste like, Cris?" Callie was curious, so she picked one up and ate it. She shuddered as the strong alcohol flavored gelatin slid down her throat. "Oh my god those are awful."

"I don't know. I just mixed some shit together and added food coloring. I'm surprised they solidified."

"Addy, how are you even still sitting up?"

"Beats me." Addison smacked her lips together. "My lips aren't numb yet, so I'm still good."

"Have you ever wondered why they call it a building when it's already been built?" Bailey asked as she stared out the window at all the tall buildings coming into view. "Shouldn't it be called a builded?"

"I don't think that's even a word." Callie laughed at the piercer. She was not acting like the Bailey she knew. She kind of liked this one better. "You okay over there?"

"I'm fine. I guess it would be called a built then. Look at all those builts!" Bailey said accidentally hitting her fingers on the window in front of her when she tried to point at the buildings. She raised her hands to her face and stared at them quizzically. "Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have all thumbs instead of fingers?"

"Cristina! What the fuck did you put in those purple ones?!"

"Just grape jello mix, vodka, and water." Cristina could tell Callie was skeptical. "I swear, Cal! That's all."

"Then why does she seem high?"

"I have no idea. She's Bailey."

"I had the purple ones and I'm fine." Joe chimed in with a shrug.

"I am not high! I'm just having a good time." Bailey gave them a lopsided smile. "And maybe a little bit drunk." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Shhh the pilot is coming to bust us."

"Hey guys." Everyone looked up to see the co-pilot standing just outside the cockpit. "We're about to start our descent and need you to fasten your seat belts and turn off your phones."

"Okay, thanks Bob."

"No problem, Mr. Sloan." Bob turned and went back to his seat.

"I wish he would stop calling me that. I'm not my father."

"Comes with the territory." Callie shrugged. "Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"Just look out the window and you'll find out."

"I don't get it." Callie said when she saw the view.

"Try the other side of the plane." Mark watched as she climbed over Aria to look out the other windows.

"Oh, now I get it." Callie grinned when she saw the familiar skyline.

_Tonight is going to be fun. _

* * *

**All the best worst decisions I ever made were because of either almond champagne or jello shot. Yikes. **


	42. Chapter 37 Part Two: Just One Month

**I'm super sorry for the delay. This turned into a freakin monster and I couldn't stop questioning my choices. Then it got weird, then I deleted stuff, then I put stuff back in, and then I deleted some stuff again. Rinse and repeat. I hope y'all survive this long drawn out chapter. It's the longest one in this story so far.**

* * *

"Is that a limo?" Meredith asked when she deplaned and saw the large blacked out vehicle waiting for them.

"No, it's a bus." Cristina slowly and carefully descended the stairs. She didn't want to spill the rest of the shots. That would be a tragedy of epic proportions in her book.

"It's a blimo is what it is." Bailey said impatiently. "Come on Yang, speed it up. We're not getting any younger here."

"I'm protecting the goods." Cristina took the last step and made a beeline for the waiting bus. She was done being responsible for the shots and wanted to put them down. She stepped onto the dimly lit bus and looked around in disdain. It had purple and black interior with zebra print highlights. The walls were lined with couch like seats instead of normal bus seats. The lights were blinking to the beat of some rap song Cristina couldn't understand. There was even a stripper pole mounted in the middle. It was tacky and she didn't think this was Callie's style at all. She took a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and waited for the rest of the party to load.

"Okay, now that I know what city we're in, are you going to tell me what we're doing?" Callie asked Mark pointlessly. Mark shook his head and smiled in amusement. At least nobody can say Callie lacked perseverance. She knew he wasn't going to tell her. They all had miraculously made it off the plane and onto the bus without any mishaps and were now stuck in a line of traffic. "I'm hungry."

"There will be food." Mark said as he pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket. "Teddy said to let you know they've landed and that they are safe."

"Tell her thanks. I was wondering." Callie glanced around at her surroundings. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. What possessed you to rent this thing? It doesn't exactly scream Callie Torres to me."

"I needed something to hold all of us and this was roomier than a limo. It was this or casino themed."

"Ah." Callie sipped on the water bottle Mark forced upon her. He insisted she needed to be coherent for their first stop. She didn't understand why. It was her party and she could be drunk if she wanted to. She sat up and looked out the window when she felt the bus come to a stop. They seemed to be in a sketchy mostly residential part of town. She saw a liquor shop, two adult sex stores, an adult video store, a couple of corner markets, a tattoo shop, a laundromat, some restaurants, and an oddly placed Walgreens. She didn't see any place to dance or drink. She really hoped her best friend didn't expect her to to sex toy shopping with him or something equally as inappropriate. "Um, Mark? Where are we?"

"You'll see. Yang, you're probably going to want to come, but the rest of you have to wait here. The place we're going is too small for all of us. Go ahead and raid the mini bar."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Bailey said as she got up to see what the bus had in stock. She pulled out a bunch of random bottles and glasses. "Driver, turn up that music! I though this was supposed to be a party bus? Okay, who wants a drink? I want to test out my bar tending skills."

"Sloan I thought you said our first stop was some stupid art museum?" Cristina said as they climbed off the bus.

"I only told you that so you wouldn't make jello shots."

"Well, that planned backfired on you. It just wanted me to make double the amount to get through the boring museum easier. This doesn't look like the other places you told me about either"

"This one was a last minute one my buddy set up for me." Mark led the two women to the tattoo shop and stopped outside of it.

"You brought me to a dingy old tattoo shop?" Callie asked incredulously. There were bars on the doors and the windows and it appeared to be deserted on the inside. The large crooked OPEN sigh in the window only had the E and N lit up and it was covered in cobwebs.

"No, I brought you to meet Victoria Walsh." Mark grinned when he saw the realization on Callie's face.

"THE Victoria Walsh?" Callie asked dumbly.

"Who's Victoria Walsh?"

"As a woman tattoo artist you should know the answer to that." Callie rolled her eyes when Cristina stared blankly at her. "She was one of the first female artists ever to make a name for herself in the industry and the first woman ever to open her own shop and have it succeed. She practically single handedly paved the way for women like you and me to do what we do and be respected for it instead of ridiculed in a male dominated profession. She's amazing and one of my heroes."

"Oh." Cristina shrugged.

"Oh? Oh! I don't get you sometimes." Callie turned her back to Cristina and faced Mark. "Why is she here? I thought she was retired and living on the east coast?"

"She is, but is in town for a convention. I guess this is the shop she started learning in back in the sixties and likes to visit it when she's in town. My friend texted me yesterday saying he met her at the convention and he set this up for me for you."

"Mark, this is perfect. Thank you. Can we go in?"

"I thought this was a bachelorette party. I didn't sign up for a tattoo shop tour and a walk down memory lane." Cristina wished she had thought to grab her cake box.

"We won't take long, Yang. The fun will commence after." Mark held the door open for the women. When they walked in, they heard a chime go off in the back. A balding man in is fifties popped his head around the doorframe.

"I'll be right with you folks."

"Actually we're here to see Victoria." Mark said. "She's expecting us."

"One second." The man said before disappearing again. The three friends looked skeptically around the shop. Yellowed and cracking flash sheets covered every inch of every wall, the floors were scuffed up so bad it was hard to tell what color they originally were, a couple of the mirrors were cracked, and the chairs seemed like they haven't been replaced in over thirty years. There were two large disturbing, but beautiful macabre style paintings leaning against the counter. There were only two work stations jammed into the small space. Despite those things and the cobwebby open sign in the window, the shop was surprisingly clean and bright.

"Well, I'll be dammed." A woman's sudden booming voice filled the shop, making the three friends spin around in surprise. "If it isn't the legends themselves."

"Um..." Callie glanced between Mark and Cristina before looking back at the short greying woman who had to be in her early to mid sixties by now. Callie was so thrown off by her statement she forgot to be excited about meeting her.

"I've heard about you three. People buzz about you at all these conventions. They like to show me the work they got from you. I'm surprised you never show up to them yourselves or are you too good for silly conventions?" Victoria laughed when they just blinked mutely at her. "Which one of you is Callie Torres?"

"She is." Mark said pushing his friend forward.

"Ms. Walsh, it's so nice to meet you." Callie grinned and stuck out her hand. She was surprised when the older woman grabbed it and pulled her down for a hug.

"Callie, the pleasure is mine. You are an incredible artist. What you've done with all those portraits I've seen is nothing but pure talent."

"I would have never been able to be doing this if it weren't for you."

"Girl, you need to learn how to take a compliment." Victoria smiled and patted Callie's arm.

"Thank you." Callie smiled timidly. She didn't know how to process that one of her heroes was standing here and actually complimenting her. It should be the other way around.

"Come on to the back, you three. Let's chat." Victoria turned and left, giving the others no choice but to follow.

"Momo, you did good." Callie hugged her best friend after they left the shop. They just got done talking to Victoria about her history for the past hour, before Mark said they had to go or they'd be late for the next thing.

"I thought you'd like that."

"It was okay." Cristina actually enjoyed their talk, but was anxious to move on. When they got closer to the bus, they noticed it was shaking.

"Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad! I missed you so bad! I missed you so, so bad!"

"Mark? Does this bus have a karaoke machine?" Callie squinted to try and see through the black windows in the distance.

"I have no idea. Why?"

"It's hard to look right at you baby! But here's my number, so call me, maybe?!"

"Because I'm pretty sure that screaming is coming from the bus and we both know karaoke is drunk Addy's weakness." The door automatically opened as they approached. They went up up stairs to see that, sure enough, Addison was bouncing all over the bus and scream-singing into a microphone. When the song ended, Bailey quickly jumped up for her turn.

"Y'all better hold on to your jaws!" Bailey started shaking her butt to the music that started up. "Because they are about to be dropped."

* * *

Arizona stared wide eyed around the large roller rink in amazement. A large disco ball spun slowly in the middle and cheesy disco music was blaring from every direction. There had to be at least thirty brightly dressed drag queens in sequins and big hair rolling around in circles out there. They were intermingled with other patrons who were not as fun. Arizona had no idea that this existed in the world and was happy she knew now, because she thought this might be the greatest thing she has ever seen. "Drag Queen Roller Disco?" Arizona grinned at her best friend.

"Yup!" Teddy smiled proudly. She knew she had to bring Arizona here as soon as she saw it in her quest to find something her friend wouldn't hate her for.

"I can't believe I agreed to this." Alex huffed.

"Bars over there, Karev." Teddy pointed behind him. "They're supposed to have the best selection of beer here."

"Come get me when you're done making asses of yourselves."

"He has no faith in our roller disco skills." Arizona shook her head disapprovingly as he walked away.

"Do we have roller disco skills?"

"I have awesome roller disco skills." Arizona said with a confident smile.

"When have you ever done this?"

"Never, but I have a feeling I'm a natural."

"Come on disco Barbie, let's go get you some skates." Teddy wrapped her arm around the shorter blonde and steered her towards the rental counter.

"I feel a little over dressed to be roller skating."

"We fit right in." Teddy gestured towards all the similarly dressed drag queens. She frowned and looked down at her own shiny silver dress. "A little too much, actually."

"Next!"

"Size seven please." Arizona told the busty drag queen behind the counter.

"Seven? Girl, you are tiny. Judging by your big and beautiful saucer eyes, I'm guessing this is your first time here?"

"It is. I'm Arizona and this is my friend Teddy."

"Arizona and Teddy? Those would be great drag names. I'm Disco Dolly by the way." Dolly looked Teddy up and down. "I'm guessing you're a nine?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Oh honey, I've spent a lifetime looking at men's feet and judging their size, if you know what I mean." Dolly said with a wink. "Maybe I can teach you some time?"

"Uh... sure." Teddy grabbed her skates. "Thank you."

"You girls have fun. Next!"

"How long do you think it's going to take for April and Lexie to get back?" Arizona sat down on one of the many benches and kicked off her heels. She took a pair of the complimentary socks the rink offered and put them on before pulling on her skates with an excited grin.

"No idea." Teddy was starting to regret this when she put her skates on and attempted to stand up. Arizona was already circling around her expertly. "The driver said there was a Macy's a few blocks over. They should be able to find new outfits there easily."

"Let's go get drinks!" Arizona skated off, with Teddy wobbling behind.

"You look like you're having fun." Teddy smiled at her friend. Arizona was flinging one arm around attempting to dance while sucking on the drink in her other hand. Teddy had no idea her friend was so coordinated. They've been skating for twenty minutes and Teddy was finally gotten the hang of it.

"Why wouldn't I be? I can skate, shake my booty, and have alcohol at the same time without being judged. The only other place I can do that is at my house when Calliope isn't home. Though, I think Sonny judges me. I can see it in his eyes."

"Their insurance rates must be high here."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please stop your movements and direct your attention to the spotlight in the middle of the floor!" A deep male voice said over the rink's loudspeaker. Everyone stopped and looked at the empty spot curiously. "We have a special treat for you tonight. I believe we have a bachelorette in the house?" Everyone cheered at that, except for a pissed off Arizona.

"Teddy, I swear to god. If he is talking about me, I'm going to kill you!" Arizona whispered.

"I didn't say anything! It's probably someone else."

"Arizona Robbins!" The disembodied voice said even louder. "Please make your way to the spotlight."

"You're dead!" Arizona poked Teddy hard in the shoulder.

"Ow! It wasn't me!" Teddy and Arizona turned around when they heard giggling from behind then. Lexie and April were standing there in their new dresses and waving gleefully at them.

"Had to get you back for the champagne somehow." April recoiled at the killer glare Arizona gave her. "It was Alex's idea!"

"Arizonaaaaa! Where are yoooou?"

"You two just remember who signs your paychecks." Arizona snapped before skating to the middle of the floor. There were suddenly a lot of people staring at her. She lifted her hand in an awkward wave.

"Arizona you skate much too gracefully." The voice tsked into the microphone. "You are not nearly drunk enough to be a bachelorette. Girls!" Arizona laughed when two drag queens in barkeep outfits appeared in front of her with a shot each. "Don't keep us waiting!" Arizona sighed and downed the shots. She really was going to kill somebody. She just wasn't sure who yet. Maybe all of them.

"Thank you." Arizona handed the empty shot glasses back. She couldn't decide of she was more curious or scared about what was going to happen next.

"Arizona, enjoy the entertainment."

"Huh?" Arizona spun on her skates when the room suddenly went dark. She could feel people surrounding her and held up her arms defensively. She lowered them and laughed when she heard Dancing Queen blare from the speakers. The lights went back on and she saw that she was surrounded by six drag queens in matching blue and green flowing outfits performing a synchronized skating routine to the song. She involuntarily squealed when one of them grabbed her hand a pulled her into their routine. The huge grin on her face hid the fact that she was still pissed, but she decided she might as well have fun with it. When the song ended the drag queen who had ahold of Arizona's hand flung her towards her friends, making her crash into Teddy. Luckily she was able to hold them both up.

"Arizona, everyone here at the Drag Queen Roller Disco wish you the best of luck in your marriage. A little birdie told us your future wife is a hotty. Now back to the skating!" Everyone cheered as Arizona narrowed her eyes at Alex. He was definitely dead.

"Zona, we have to go." Teddy snapped her fingers in front of her friends face.

"What? Why? I'm having fun here."

"You'll have fun at the next place too, I promise."

"Okay, fine." Arizona thought Teddy did a good job with this one, so hopefully she'll be two for two.

* * *

"Didn't I tell you to hold your jaws?" Bailey smirked at the bus full of gaping fools. She was rather pleased with herself right now.

"Holy. Shit." Addison said out loud what everyone else was thinking. "That was incredible! Where did that come from?"

"My mother." Bailey put her hand on her hip and held the microphone out. "Who's next?"

"Hell no." Callie said when everyone looked at her. She was not even close to being karaoke drunk yet. "Not happening. Especially not after that."

"Cals, you're just as good, if not better. None of the rest of us can follow that."

"Excuse you, no one is better than Miranda Bailey." Bailey wiggled her finger at Mark. "Except for maybe Miranda Bailey." She sank back down on one of the seats. "Are there anymore purples left?"

"Looks like we're here." Mark said when the bus slowed to a stop. Callie looked out the window and frowned at the darkness surrounding them.

"Mark, this is creepier than the last place."

"Don't judge a book." Mark checked his watch. They were right on time. "Alright, everybody. Follow me." Everybody immediately stood up and got in line to unload.

"Does anyone else feel like we're cows being led to slaughter?" Cristina asked in a loud whisper as the group moved down the dark street bouncing off each other because of their unsteady feet and uneven ground. This was an unusually quiet and dark place for the city and the strange noises around them were unnerving.

"Yeah, I kind of do. Mark, please tell me now." Callie grabbed his arm when they heard tires squealing in the distance. "You're freaking me out."

"How does sangria, tapas, and Salsa sound?" Mark stopped in front of an unmarked door and put his hand on the handle. "Because I've discovered this underground Salsa club that's supposed to be hot."

"Mark, that sounds amazing!" Callie threw her hands in the air. She was really excited now.

"Good, because we're here." Mark pulled open the door and they'd were immediately hit with the sounds of a live band playing a fast paced rhythm that made Callie's body react instantly. She danced in her spot as she waited for everyone to go in in front of her.

"I'm going to need food first to fuel up." Callie said as she tried to walk further into the club, but was stopped by Mark's hand on her arm.

"Not so fast, we have a quick private Salsa lesson first to learn the basics."

"I don't need lessons." Callie scoffed. She wanted to dance now, not count steps.

"You don't, but everyone else does."

"Aria doesn't." Callie hoped to convince him to let her and her sister go dance while they did the lesson. Their parents taught them to dance as kids. Callie used to love to watch her parents dance around their large sitting room. She'd probably still love it, now that she thought about it. Maybe they'll dance at her wedding. Her parents dancing at her wedding was something she never thought would happen.

"Everyone does the lesson, Cal. We're sticking together."

"You're right. Let's get it over with." Callie followed him to a little room where her friends were already waiting. There was also a couple she didn't know in there who she assumed were the instructors. The woman reminded her of Arizona with the way her blonde hair was pulled back into a braid and the way she had her hand on her hip and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Everyone partner up and then we can get started." The man said and then loudly clapped twice for no obvious reason. Callie was already irritated by him. Everyone looked at each other awkwardly, trying to figure out who was going to dance with who.

"I want George." Bailey finally said.

"What? No, Joe is my partner." George looked at him for help.

"I don't care. You're the right height for me and you're not an idiot."

"Fine, but only for the lessons and I lead."

"Hell no, I'm leading." Bailey gave him a look that told him not to mess with her.

"I call Mer!" Cristina said. "I'm leading."

"What?" Owen said before realizing that he should have known better than to assume his girlfriend would want to dance with him.

"That leaves Addison, Aria, Joe, Owen, Mark, and Callie."

"I call Calliope!"

Callie whipped around so fast she almost fell over from the speed and small amount of vodka still flowing through her body. She grinned broadly and her heart burst with excitement when she saw that she hadn't imagined her fiancées voice saying her name. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Taking a Salsa lesson, apparently." Arizona matched Callie's toothy smile and stepped into the room. Her group filing in behind her. She turned to look at Mark and Teddy. They were both looking mighty pleased with themselves. "Teddy, what's going on?"

"Mark and I just wanted you guys to have a good night out. Before you get married and have babies and become all boring and can't do crazy shit like fly to San Francisco for the hell of it." Teddy nudged Mark in the side. "It was his idea."

"Mark? Really?" Callie was surprised. He was adamant that they did this separately. According to him it was 'the right way'.

"It's not my first choice, but I wanted to do what you would want to do."

"Me too." Teddy told Arizona.

"This isn't exactly Arizona's scene though." Callie felt guilty that her fiancée had to miss out on whatever she'd like to do.

"I love doing anything as long as it's with you." Arizona pecked Callie on the lips. "Besides Teddy took me to a Drag Queen Roller Disco before this, so I'm good."

"A what?" Callie laughed. It sounded awful to Callie, but t was almost too perfect for the blonde.

"I know. I'm awesome." Teddy said with a smug smile.

"Now I can check off perform a synchronized roller skating routine with drag queens off my bucket list."

"That was on your bucket list?" Callie wished she could have seen that.

"No, but it really should have been."

"Everyone have their partners?" The male instructor interrupted. He wanted to get this over with so he could go back to the club. He watched as everyone finished pairing up. "Good, now face your partner and put your hands like this." He demonstrated on his own partner.

"Can you believe they're actually doing this for us?" Callie whispered as she looked at the odd pairs around them. It ended up being Bailey/George, Cristina/Meredith, Mark/Lexie, Owen/Teddy, Joe/April, Alex/Addison and Callie/Arizona. Aria decided to sit it out since they were uneven and she already knew what she was doing.

"Not really." Arizona placed her left hand on Callie's shoulder and her right hand in the brunettes left hand. "Are you going to lead me or what?"

"Actually, I want you guys to stand away from each other as I teach you the first basic step, so there are no toe injuries." The instructor started moving his feet. "Once you get it, then you can do it with your partners."

"I want to do it with you now." Callie whispered in Arizona's ear. She wasn't paying any attention to the instructor.

"You were never a serious student were you?"

"I was too." Callie stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Why is your tongue a weird color?"

"Jello shots."

"Cristina?"

"Yup. They're in that cake box over there if you want them."

"My cake box?" Arizona said when she looked. Those big ones weren't cheap.

"If you're not going to pay attention to my lesson, then you two can leave."

"Sorry." Callie and Arizona said in unison.

"I really don't want to do this. I can teach you better moves." Callie whispered. She still wasn't paying attention to anybody else. Neither were Cristina and Meredith. They gave up after the first count and were already in to the box of jello shots again. They were starting to droop from being out of the fridge for so long.

"I've already got moves, Calliope."

"Disco moves don't really work in Salsa."

"I'm sure I can make it work."

"I think since this is our party, we should be allowed to do whatever we want and leave."

"No, Mark set this up and you're going to do it. It won't kill you."

"I hear there's sangrias and tapas waiting for us out there."

"You had me at sangrias."

"When exactly did you learn how to dance?" Callie raised her eyebrow at her fiancée.

"What?"

"I've been dancing with you the whole time we were talking and I don't even think you noticed. That's a true sign that you know why you're doing and you're comfortable with it too."

"Oh..." Callie was right, she didn't notice. She was too lost in their conversation and in Callie's eyes she had to admit. "You're just a really good teacher."

"Hmm.." Callie narrowed her eyes at the blonde and led her into a more difficult step. Arizona responded easily. She dropped their hold and stepped back. "You can dance!" She yelled, almost accusingly. Everyone else stopped their movements to see what made Callie yell.

"Surprise?" Arizona didn't know how to explain how she didn't have two left feet all of a sudden.

"You've been holding out on me?" Callie was hurt. She's begged the blonde to go dancing with her many times and she always turned her down. When they did go out, Callie had to dance with other people while Arizona sat and watched. "Why don't you like dancing with me?"

"No, Calliope. No." Arizona could see what her fiancée was thinking. "It's not like that at all. I've been taking lessons while you were still at work. I wanted to be able to dance with you all night at our wedding without slowing you down or looking like an idiot. It was supposed to be a surprise."

"You took lessons for me?" Callie's heart warmed at the thought of Arizona doing that for her. It was very unlike the blonde to go out and do something like pay someone for help. "I could have taught you."

"We've tried. Remember? It always led to one of us getting extremely frustrated or our clothes coming off."

"I like the latter." Callie tugged on the front of Arizona's dark grey shimmery dress. "I really want to go in the club now and see what you can do."

"Sangrias and food first." Arizona's stomach growled right on cue. Her champagne buzz from earlier has worn off too.

"Fine." Callie had to admit she was also really hungry. The sugary jello and vodka combo was making her feel funny. Without a word to anybody, they left them to finish their lesson. Callie held Arizona's hand as they made their way deeper into the dimly lit club. Couples danced around them seamlessly to the fast paced music. Even Callie hasn't seen anything like the moves a few of the couples were performing. Arizona suddenly felt very nervous about dancing in front of amazing dancers like this, but there was no way she could tell her excited fiancée no at this point. They found a set of tables in the back corner that said reserved for Torres-Robbins and sat down. Food and drinks appeared in front of them immediately. "This looks amazing."

"It really does." Arizona poured them each a glass from one of the many pitchers of sangria covering the tables. "Do you think it's too late to get almond champagne for the wedding?"

"I don't think so." Other than the stupid cotton candy machine, Arizona didn't have any other requests for the wedding. Callie was going to make sure she got this one too. "I'll call the caterer tomorrow and tell them to switch it."

"Good. We had it on your dads plane and it's my new favorite."

"Yes! Food!" Cristina plopped down next to Callie and immediately started filling her mouth with various different things.

"Cris, you're going to choke."

"No I'm not." Cristina swallowed the lump of food. "I'm a speed eating champion."

"Beating Karev and Georgie in a hot dog eating contest one time does not qualify you as a speed eating champion.

"Sure it does. This one mine?" Cristina pointed to a pitcher of sangria in front of her. She picked it up and stared drinking from it before anyone answered her. "This Spanish shit is good."

"That didn't count. She made us use those disgusting slimy meatless things disguised as hot dogs. I couldn't even choke down the first one without wanting to vomit." Alex said as the rest of their friends joined them around the table.

"Shut up Karev. You're just jealous of my mad skills."

"Bite me, Yang."

"You wanna be me, but you can't be me." Cristina sang as she picked up some more food. "You wanna be me, but you can't be me."

"Everybody listen up." Mark and Teddy stood up from their seats. "We want to say a little something before you all get too carried away." He turned to look at Callie and Arizona. "We are saving our big speeches for the night of your wedding, but I just wanted to quickly say something to Arizona."

"Me?" Arizona wasn't sure if she should be scared or not.

"Yes, you. I want to thank you for brining me my best friend back and for all the happiness and love you've brought her. She is vey special and I couldn't have picked out a more perfect woman for her to marry."

"And Callie, I would also like to thank you for bringing me my best friend back and for the happiness and love you've shown her. Zona is also very special and I couldn't have picked out a more perfect woman for her to spend the rest of her life with. Mark and I asked everyone here and we all agreed that you two were made for each other."

"So," Mark raised his glass, "to Callie and Arizona. May this night be full of debauchery and no regrets."

"No regrets!" Everyone cheered and clinked glasses. Callie and Arizona smiled goofily at each other as their friends finished off the first round of drinks. More pitchers and food appeared in front of them and they wasted no time in digging right into to those. The conversation flowed as everyone ate and drank. Soon their second round was gone. Everyone was feeling full and there was a happy buzz about them.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready for some dancing." Bailey stood up and pulled George to his feet. "Come on O'Malley, let's show these people what we got."

"You what to dance?" Arizona asked Callie.

"Are you kidding?" Callie stood up and held her hand out. "May I have this dance?"

"Of course." Arizona wasn't sure if she's ever seen her fiancée this excited for something. She hoped she didn't disappoint her. The closer they got to the dance floor, the more nervous Arizona felt. The passion flowing around her as other couples danced around them was intimidating to the blonde. Callie stopped when she found a good spot and turned to face her fiancée. She could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"You can do this, Mariposa." Callie took Arizona's hand a pulled her close. "You just need to relax."

"I'm trying." Arizona cringed when the first thing she did was step on Callie's foot. She pulled out of the brunette's hold and blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Come here." Callie grabbed her hand again and pulled her to the stage. She asked the man sitting on the edge something in Spanish. He nodded and said something back. Callie grinned and pulled Arizona back to their spot on the dance floor. She waited for the song to end before placing the blonde's hand on her shoulder and pulled her body closer than she normally would if she were dancing with anyone else. She positioned her head so she could whisper in Arizona's ear. "I need you to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"You're too distracted by what you're seeing. I want you to listen to the music and feel my touch."

"Calliope, I-"

"You have to trust me, okay?" Callie pulled her head back so she could see into the blonde's eyes. Nothing but trust reflected back at her and she knew Arizona was about to give up the little control she had. Something Callie knew was very difficult for her fiancée to do, especially in this kind of public setting. She smiled when Arizona's eyelids flickered shut. She could feel the complete faith the blonde had in her in this moment. She put her mouth close to Arizona's ear again so she could be heard over the loud music. Callie had requested that they play one of her favorite songs she'd watch her parents dance too. It wasn't too fast or too slow and she liked the story it told. "I know you don't understand the words, but you'll be able to understand the emotion through her voice and the music." When Arizona nodded, Callie began to guide her through a few basic steps using only her hips and hands. She could tell the blonde already had the footwork down. "See? It's easy."

"What is she saying?" Arizona could almost feel the desperation in the woman's voice. Callie didn't answer her. She only took her hands and started to lead them into a more difficult step that Arizona recognized. When Callie was satisfied, she leaned her head in close again.

"She's asking her lover to not give up on her. She's still trying to get over the loss of her husband, but wants to move on with this new guy."

"That's sad."

"It's romantic." Callie continued to increase their movements and pace as she talked. "She loved her husband very much, but she's never felt such a strong connection like the one she's feeling with this new suitor. She can't let herself deny her feelings any longer and is finally ready to give herself fully to him. She goes to his house, but he isn't there. His mother tells her to leave him alone, that she's not good enough for her son. She believes that to be true. That she isn't good enough for him. She takes a long walk on the beach and when she goes back home, she finds him sitting on her porch. Before she can say anything he tells her that he's willing to wait as long as she needs, because she's worth it and he believes that she is his soulmate and he can't live without her. He's willing to just be friends if he has too, even if it tortures him. Her only response is a passionate kiss. She pushes him inside the house where they make love for the first time." Callie stopped dancing and hugged Arizona close. "After he fell asleep she can't help but watch him. She knows now that even though they took a long and strange path to get here, they were always meant to be together. She knows that this is the beginning of her true love story and is finally able to let herself be happy again."

When the song ended, a much faster one began. Without a word spoken between them Callie decided to stop babying her fiancee and picked up the pace along with it. Arizona smiled as Callie spun them around the dance floor. The only other person she's danced with was her instructor and there was only a mutual respect there. She was nowhere near prepared for the chemistry and passion flowing between them with Callie at the lead. It was the same chemistry and passion they shared in the bedroom and it was making Arizona hot enough inside and out to start sweating. Callie also wasn't prepared for what was happening between them, though she shouldn't have been surprised. She's danced with many other people before, but never had that emotional connection she could only get with a lover of her own. The closeness, the trust, the love, and the passion they felt for one another every day was easily transferred onto the dance floor. It was the kind of dancing Callie has been waiting for her whole life to experience. Arizona opened her eyes to find Callie watching her intensely. There was something swirling around in the brunette's expressive eyes that Arizona didn't recognize. When the song ended Arizona grinned and quickly changed their positions before Callie could fight it. She was feeling brave and wanted to take the lead before she chickened out. The look of surprise on Callie's face made Arizona laugh. "You don't get to have all the fun."

"I didn't think that-"

"Shhh Calliope, just listen to the music. Feel my touch."

Callie nodded. She had no idea where Arizona's newfound confidence on the dance floor came from, but she liked it. It turned out that with Arizona in the lead, their dance became even more heated. Callie's experience made it much easier for her to pick up the blonde's cues than it was the other way around. The brunette also enjoyed being controlled by the other woman in this way. Arizona's reservations were completely gone now as their bodies responded to each other's movements on their own. She didn't even have to think about anything other than the amazing feeling of having Callie moving against her in that sensual way the brunette's body only knew how to move. They continued in this way as the music pumped through them for two more songs. The heat of the dance floor and the intensity of their dancing made both women need a break desperately. When the fourth song ended Callie leaned in for a kiss, which turned out to be a mistake. She was already worked up from dancing with Arizona and the kiss just turned her on more. The blonde seemed to be feeling the same thing, since she wrapped her arms around Callie's neck and responded hungrily. The carnal desire that each woman felt for one another only intensified when Arizona slid her tongue into her fiancées mouth. There were either unaware of the crowd around them or simply didn't care, because they ignored the whistles and stairs as their hands started to roam. They only stopped when the need for water and air took over. "Want to go sit the next few out?"

"Sure." Arizona wrapped her arm around Callie's waste and headed back towards their table. Most of their friends were already there. Only Bailey and George were missing.

"I'm pretty sure sex on the dance floor is frowned upon." Cristina said when she saw the couple sit down.

"What?" Arizona was happy to find a pitcher of water among all the empty sangria ones.

"You guys were totally hot out there." Lexie said earning herself a table full of confused looks. "What?"

"Oh." Arizona grinned. "Now I know why Calliope loves to dance so much."

"I've never danced with anyone like that before." Callie leaned over and kissed her fiancée on the cheek. "You did good, babe."

"Yeah? Better than people who have way more experience?"

"It's not about experience and skill. It's about chemistry and connection. I'm never dancing with anyone else ever again." Callie turned her attention to the waiter who was bringing them more tapas. "Oh thank god, I'm starving."

"You just ate like a million of those before hitting the dance floor." Arizona laughed.

"You worked up my appetite and they're delicious." Callie popped a piece of deep fried squid in her mouth and grinned when Arizona gave her a look of disgust. "Mmm... Try it."

"I think I'll stick to whatever this is." Arizona said holding up a toothpick with some sort of saucy meat on it. It looked safe enough.

"Albóndigas."

"Am I going to like it?"

"Yes, it's just a meatball."

"Sounds more exotic when you say it." Arizona bit the meatball in half. "It is good."

"You like that too." Callie pointed at another dish.

"Ooo mushrooms!" Arizona stabbed at one with her toothpick.

"Setas al Ajillo."

"Oooo, fancy mushrooms."

"Not really." Callie laughed. "Just regular mushrooms cooked with olive oil and garlic. Like I usually make them for you."

"Oh they look different." Arizona put the mushroom in her mouth. "Delicious, but yours are better."

"You have to say that." Callie rolled her eyes and tried the mushrooms. Arizona was right, hers were better.

"No I don't. I'm positive you'll marry me even if I think these are better than yours, which I don't. Can you tell me the names of everything else?"

"Why?"

"Because it's hot." Arizona poured herself a sangria as everyone listened to Callie go through the names of the mass amount food on the table. The blonde has never heard food sound so sexy before. That could also be the alcohol talking.

"The club closes in about an hour." Mark interrupted the impromptu Spanish lesson Callie was now giving the table. "You guys should get more dancing in now if you want."

"Yes please!" Callie said turning to her fiancée. "Can we?"

"Of course, Calliope." Arizona was never going to turn down a dance with her partner ever again. When they got to the dance floor, Callie took the lead again. They took turns through five more songs before Mark gathered everyone up and led them back towards the tables. It was almost two in the morning at this point and everyone was getting exhausted from dancing.

"We still have one more stop tonight guys, look alive. Actually two more." Mark laughed when the group let out a collective groan.

"Mark it's the middle of the night." Callie lifted her head from Arizona's shoulder. "Where else is there to go?"

"You'll see. Everybody back to the bus." Mark clapped his hands together when nobody moved. "Come one. Chop chop."

"I hate you, Sloan." Cristina growled.

"Marks right, lets go." Teddy stood up. They still had a stop for Callie and one for Arizona. She would regret not making this a weekend thing, but they promised no regrets. Everyone followed except for a passed out April. "I think we have our first casualty."

"I got her." Alex picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Everyone else seemed to be doing well even after they cleared this place of all their wine.

"Nice bus." Arizona laughed when they climbed onto the vehicle. "It even has a stripper pole, I see. Classy."

"A stripper pole?!" April suddenly woke up and struggled to get out of Alex's grasp.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Kepner." Alex tried to hold onto her legs, but she was too squirmy. He was able to ascend the rest of the stairs and dump her on one of the couches before she hurt herself. Luckily she seemed to forget about the pole and fell right back to sleep.

"Where's the tequila?" Cristina made a loud crashing sound when she pushed bottles aside on the small shelf. "Nevermind here it is."

"Yang, yours going to make yourshelf shick." Bailey said as she sat down on the floor. "Why is it so sticky?"

"Dude, Baileys totally wasted. We need to get this on camera."

"Don't you dare." Bailey glared at Cristina, but the effort was too much for her. Her head rolled back onto the seat behind her. "Nap time."

"How's everyone else doing?" Callie asked. April and Bailey weren't used to the amount the rest of them usually drank on a typical night out, so everyone else seemed to be doing okay. The true test will be when they woke up the next day.

"I'm pretty sleepy." Arizona said as she positioned herself to lay in Callie's lap. The brunette's hands instinctively found their way into blonde hair.

"Where we're going isn't too far from here." Mark opened a box he had hidden under one of the seats. "You're going to want to put these on. It's going o be freezing."

"What are these?" Callie smiled when she saw the matching black hoodies everyone was pulling over their heads. They each had Callie and Arizona's Final Fling Before the Ring written across the back along with simple sketch of each of their profiles. Cheesy enough for Callie to like, but not too over the top for Arizona. "Awww, I love them."

"Yeah, thanks guys." Arizona wanted to protest them, but Callie seemed happy about them, so she sucked it up and put it on. She was surprised to see Cristina put hers on without saying anything too. "Doesn't quite go with my dress."

"No ones going to see us." Mark smiled when the bus stopped. "Okay, we're here."

They managed to get Bailey and April on their feet and grabbed the remaining bottle of tequila per Mark's instructions. As soon as they stepped off the bus, they were hit with a frigid breeze coming off the bay. Mark was glad that they came here on probably one of the only nights of the year that the fog stayed away. Arizona huddled close to Callie to try and suck off some of her body heat. "Mark, you should have brought us pants too." She said as she pulled on her hood and tightened it around her face. Callie thought the way her eyes, nose, and a small amount of blonde hair peeked out of her hood was adorable.

"Teddy should have thought of that. I forgot that you girls like to go pantless in public."

"Don't blame me." Teddy shivered. "This wasn't my idea."

"Your idea is going to be even colder, so don't get too cocky yet." Mark turned around to face the rest of the group. "We're technically aren't supposed to be here and we're not supposed to bring alcohol either, so try and be quiet."

"Where are we?" Arizona asked. She didn't recognize the parking lot, but Callie did.

"Baker Beach." Callie grinned. "Mark, Addy, and I used to sneak beer down here at night when we'd come to the city with his parents for business over summer vacations throughout high school."

"I thought we'd have a drink here for old times sake. Say goodbye to our partying years and hello to our responsible adult years. It's supposed to be symbolic or something." Mark rambled nervously.

"I think that's a great idea, Mark." Callie had no idea he even remembered that they did this.

"Then shall we?"

"We shall." Callie looped her arm through Arizona's and led everybody down the path to the beach. When they got to the sand, she ditched her heels and suggested the other women do the same.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Arizona said in awe when she saw the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The majestic landmark was the only thing lighting up the night sky and reflected off the ocean. It looked much bigger now than when she saw it from a distance on the plane.

"I know, I love it." Callie continued to lead everyone further along the beach until they reached the rocks she, Addison, and Mark used to sit on for hours. "Be careful of the naked old men." Callie whispered. She laughed at the matching comical wide eye expressions everyone gave her.

"I don't even want to know." Cristina lifted the bottle of tequila she was in charge of. "When do we drink?"

"We can drink now."

"Thank God." Cristina unscrewed the lid and raised it in the air. "To never growing up." She took a sip and handed it to Meredith.

"To Arizona- Thank you for helping me find my passion." Meredith took a sip and handed it to the next person. The bottle continued around the circle.

"To Callie- Without her I would have never known what it's like to be loved unconditionally." Addison.

"To Arizona- Thank you for taking me off the street and believing in me when no one else did" Alex.

"To Callie- Your smile can brighten even the darkest day." Owen.

"To Arizona- You have been the biggest positive influence in my life and the best mentor I could ever ask for." Lexie.

"To Callie- Thank you for taking a chance on me, even though no one else wanted to and for being a patient teacher." George.

"To Arizona- Thank you for showing me there's more to life than what's outside my bubble." April.

"To Callie- You have the biggest heart anyone has ever seen." Joe.

"To Arizona- You have made my baby sister the happiest I have ever seen her. You treat my children as your own and they love you so much. You proved to our family that love knows no bounds. I am grateful for all of those things and I could never thank you enough. I am proud to be able to call you my sister." Aria.

"To Callie- Thank you for deciding to take a chance on a strange kid like me over twenty years ago on a crowded playground. We've been through everything together and there is no one else I would have rather experienced growing up with. You've taught me how to be a better man and a better partner." Mark.

"To Arizona- You taught me how to enjoy life to the fullest, even when the worst possible thing has happened. You make me laugh even when all I want to do is cry. I'm happy to call you my best friend and I am honored to have the privilege of being yours." Teddy.

"To Callie and Arizona, who has showed everyone here what true love looks like. You two are good people and I think we can all agree that we are lucky to be able to call you our friends." Bailey.

Words escaped both Callie and Arizona and tears filled their eyes as they listened to each of their friends say nice things about them. Both women wondering what they've done to deserve such amazing people in their lives. When Bailey was done, no one said anything as they listened to the sound of the ocean's waves gently crashing into the rocks.

"Well, you all made me look like an ass." Cristina broke the silence.

"You are an ass!" Everyone said in unison, making them all burst out laughing. The bottle made one more lap around the circle to be finished off.

"Thank you guys." Arizona said and wrapped her arms Callie. "We are lucky to call you our friends too."

"Yes, thank you." Callie said with a lopsided smile. All the alcohol she had consumed was finally starting to catch up with her now that they were just sitting. She couldn't remember a time where she's ever felt more content than she was feeling right now. She had the love of her life wrapped in her arms and her friends laughing around her. Her body was tired from dancing so much and her brain had a happy buzz. The view was beautiful and the ocean was calming. She didn't even notice how cold she was.

"Hey, you okay?" Arizona whispered. "You got quiet."

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about how happy I am." Callie smiled widely.

"You look extra beautiful when you're happy like this." Arizona squeezed Callie in her arms and focused her attention back on their friends. Cristina had somehow managed to talk the girls and George into dancing to the music that was now blaring from her iPod. Dancing wasn't really the right word for the flailing they were all doing. "Everyone seems so carefree."

"Yeah. Cristina has this dance it out philosophy."

"Does it work?"

"Every single time. Want to try it?"

"Okay." Arizona slowly got to her feet and stood staring at the ground that seemed to be moving around her.

"You okay there?" Callie laughed. The alcohol was obviously catching up to her fiancée too.

"Yeah, just had to catch my bearings. I'm good." Arizona took Callie's hand and they joined the makeshift dance party on the beach.

"What on earth are you doing?" Callie laughed at the way Arizona was flinging her arms around.

"Showing off some of my new disco moves. I can teach you if you want."

"Yeah, okay." Callie caught one of Arizona's flying hands in midair and pulled her in for a slow sensual kiss. She pulled away before it got too heated and rested her forehead against the blonde's. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Arizona shivered as a cold breeze hit her legs.

"Cold?"

"Yeah."

"You know what cures coldness?"

"What?"

"Disco!" Callie flung her arms out and started imitating Arizona's moves. She smiled at her fiancées laughter. "What? Not good?"

"No, not at all." Arizona doubled over in laughter when Callie tried again.

"Cal?" Mark asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Callie halted her movements and turned around in alarm. Mark seemed off.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure." Callie glanced at Arizona.

"You too, Arizona."

"Is it serious?" Callie frowned at the use of Arizona's name.

"Yes. Not here." Mark pointed behind him indicating he wanted to get away from the group. Callie and Arizona exchanged worried glances as they followed Mark down the beach.

"Mark, what's going on?"

"I'm going to ask her to marry me." Make said with an excited grin.

"Mark, what the hell?!" Callie punched him in the shoulder. "You scared us."

"I'm sorry, but I just decided and I had to tell someone."

"You just now decided?"

"Well, you know I've been thinking about it for awhile, but after seeing her like this, I know I can't wait any longer." Mark pointed to where Lexie was dancing wildly with Meredith. "I've never seen her more beautiful than she is right now. She's so carefree and happy. I can't live without her, Cal."

"Then you need to do it." Callie thought of the best idea and jumped up and down. "Do it now! It's the perfect setting and all her friends are here."

"No way. This is your night and I'm not about to steal your thunder. I want it to be special just between her and me. She'd what it that way. She doesn't like all the attention."

"He's right, Calliope." Arizona said when she saw the disappointment on Callie's face.

"Yeah, I know." Callie looked back at Lexie. "She's great, Mark. I'm happy for you."

"Arizona, I was hoping Lex can have this weekend off. I want to take her somewhere special and do it."

"Yeah, of course." Arizona grinned. "I'm happy for you guys too."

"Thanks guys."

"Yo, bachelorettes!" Cristina yelled. "I've got your jam coming on next. Get over here!"

Callie and Arizona hugged Mark before running back to the dance party. "Cristina! How is this 'our jam'?" Callie asked when I Kissed a Girl came on next.

"Seems pretty self explanatory to me."

"You know I hate this song."

"Must have slipped my mind." Cristina shrugged and kept dancing.

"Shit!" Teddy yelled when she looked at her watch. It was now three twenty in the morning and they had to be across the city by four. "Guys, we have to go or we're going to miss the next thing."

"I'm so tired." April whined when they got back to the bus.

"Hey, you agreed to the itinerary before coming." Teddy was dragging too, but wasn't about to admit it.

"I know." April laid down on one of the couches. "I'm having a lot of fun."

"I left the jello shots at that Salsa place!" Cristina shouted suddenly, making everyone jump. "We have to go back!"

"Cris, they're closed and the shots are all liquid and gross by now." Callie scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Man, that sucks." Cristina sat down hard in her seat and crossed her arms. "How long until we get to the ferry boat?"

"Where going on a ferry?" Arizona looked at Teddy for confirmation.

"Cristina!" Teddy was mad. They were so close to making it.

"Oops." Cristina really hadn't meant to give it away.

"I love ferries!"

"I know, Zona." Teddy smiled warmly.

"What's so great about ferry boats?" Callie could see the excitement in Arizona's face. It made her excited too, even though she didn't know why.

"I have no idea, but Arizona and Tim used to make me ride them in circles all the time back home."

"They just made Tim happy." Arizona shrugged. "And that made me happy. Plus the people watching was top notch. Tim liked to make up conversations people were having."

"Yeah that was fun and a good way to kill an afternoon."

"Tim kissed Teds for the first time on the ferry and then he asked her to be his girlfriend." Arizona smiled at the memory.

"Yeah and Zona made a very good third wheel."

"Hey, I didn't know he was going to do that. I would have stayed home."

"I don't think he knew he was going to do that either." Teddy laughed. Tim was always spontaneous. The exact opposite of his sister. It was one of her favorite things about him. "I miss him."

"Me too." Arizona sighed and melted into the warm embrace Callie offered her.

"It's supposed to go along with that whole symbolic welcoming adulthood and marriage thing Mark came up with." Teddy had thought it was ridiculous at first, since she's felt like an adult for awhile now. But she understood a little better once he explained it more.

"Seriously?" Arizona's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe how much Teddy and Mark had thought this night through.

"I know we haven't done the ferry thing since a few years before Tim died, but it seemed right. I hope it's okay."

"Teddy..." Arizona stood up and hugged her best friend. "Thank you. This is perfect."

"Sweet Giants stadium!" Alex jumped up from his seat and pressed his face against the window.

"We actually have a minute, if you want to get out and drool." Teddy said. Their driver made good time and their ferry wasn't scheduled to leave for twenty minutes.

"Hell yeah, I want." Alex waited for the driver to stop and jumped off the bus, completely skipping the stairs.

"I don't think I've seen him excited about anything before." Arizona said as she watched Alex run down the sidewalk and step onto a cement block to get a better look at the lit up stadium.

"I'm going to go look too." Joe said. He was followed by George, Owen, Bailey, Lexie, and April. Addison and Aria were asleep across the couches. Cristina and Meredith were in the back corner laughing about something, leaving Callie, Arizona, Teddy, and Mark alone towards the front.

"How are you doing?" Callie kissed the top of her fiancées head that was resting on her shoulder.

"I'm fantastic. This is one of the best nights I've ever had." Arizona yawned. She wasn't ready for it to be over.

"Me too. Teddy and Mark did good."

"You sound surprised, Cals. I would think that you would know that we know you guys by now."

"I know. I'm sorry. You had me worried with some of the stuff I heard you saying."

"Decoys." Mark grinned.

"Well, they worked." Callie chuckled lightly. "Seriously, thank you guys. This has been a lot of fun."

"Yeah, thank you." Arizona's eyes drifted close.

"Babe, don't fall asleep. We still have to ride the ferry. You can sleep on the plane."

"Just a little nap."

"Okay." Callie smiled and rubbed her arm. "I love you."

"You too." Arizona whispered.

"She's out." Teddy laughed. "I think we're getting too old for this."

"Speak for yourself!" Cristina yelled from the back.

"Her selective hearing is impressive."

"It really is." Callie agreed.

"Ready?" Mark asked when he saw everyone getting back onto the bus.

"Yeah. Thanks for stopping." Alex sat back down in his seat and leaned his head back. "Are we almost done?" He's had enough of drag queens, dancing, cold beaches, and drunk Cristina.

"The ferry is taking us to Oakland where the bus will pick us up to take us to the airport over there. Then we'll be on our way home."

"We're taking one plane back right?" Callie really didn't want to leave Arizona at this point.

"Yeah, your dad's. Mine actually sold his plane to someone in San Jose, so it was coming here but not going back anyway. It worked out perfectly."

"Calliope?" Arizona sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I kind of had an accident on your father's plane."

"What kind of accident?" Callie frowned.

"There was this incident with some champagne and it kind of exploded. I'm not sure how. Don't worry, most of it got on April and Lexie instead of the seats. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Mariposa." Callie tried not to laugh at the thought of Lexie and April getting a champagne shower. "We can get it cleaned.

"Is he going to be mad at me?"

"No, he won't be. I promise."

"Hey guys, we're here." Teddy said when she noticed they had stopped in front of the Ferry Building.

"Want to go ride a ferry boat?" Callie asked Arizona.

"Heck yeah, I do." Arizona grinned and took Callie's hand. "I haven't been on one in like seven years."

"It's cold." Cristina whined as they walked up the ramp to the boat.

"You haven't felt cold yet. Wait until we're in the middle of the bay."

"Why are we doing this again?"

"You can stay inside Yang."

"I think I will." Cristina headed for the cabin as soon as they boarded. "Have fun freezing your nips off."

"Hurry, we have to get a good spot." Arizona pulled Callie towards the front.

"I highly doubt we're going to be fighting people off on the four am ferry."

"There is no four am ferry." Mark leaned up on the rail next to the couple. "It's all ours."

"Kind of excessive don't you think?" Callie ignored the fact they flew here on two private jets.

"Did you really want to wait for the six thirty one?"

"Not really."

"See? And this way Blondie gets the perfect spot."

"I like this spot." Arizona grinned. Callie wrapped her arms around the blonde from behind.

"I like this spot too." Callie rested her chin and Arizona's shoulder and looked up at the Bay Bridge looming above them. "It looks so much higher from down here."

"It does." Arizona felt Callie tense up around her when the boat started to move. "Are you okay?"

"Um... yeah." Callie tried to relax her body, but the moving boat made it impossible.

"Cals doesn't really like boats."

"Mark!"

"What? It's true."

"Please go away."

"I'm going inside with the others."

"You don't like boats?" Arizona asked when mark left. She didn't think Callie was afraid of anything.

"Not really." Callie was glad Arizona was facing away from her so she couldn't see her blushing. "It's the thought of drowning I don't like."

"I'll save you if we crash."

"That makes me feel a little better."

"Looks like we're all alone out here." Arizona turned around in Callie's arms. "What should we do?"

"I don't know." Callie gripped her hands on the rail behind the blonde and pressed her body against hers. The ferry picked up speed once they hit open water. Neither woman was prepared for the freezing winds that battered their exposed faces and legs. "This just got a lot less fun."

"It's part of the experience." Arizona said through chattering teeth. "Let's move to the back, maybe the cabin will shield us better."

"Wow." Callie said when she saw the view of the lit up city behind them. She and Arizona huddled close together under the covering of the entrance to go inside. It was still cold, but much better than the front. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, you are." Arizona smiled when Callie looked at her. "I'm going to try again. Looks like we're all alone out here. What should we do?" Callie responded with a kiss that warmed them both up from the inside out. Right when Arizona slipped her tongue into the brunette's mouth they were interrupted by a knock on the window next to them. They tore their lips apart and turned to see Teddy waving at them to come inside.

"I guess we should get back to our party." Callie kissed the blonde's lips again.

"I guess you're right." Arizona kissed her back. They jumped when Teddy knocked louder. "She won't give up."

"I'm sorry to interrupted your alone time, but Cristina and Meredith were about to start a riot if we didn't do this next thing soon." Teddy said when the couple came in. She wished she didn't tell them what she had.

"It's okay, Teds." Arizona was curious to see what she had planned next. She sat down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs and turned to put her legs in Callie's lap. She smiled when the brunette started to rub the cold out of them. They were starting to tingle as they warmed up. "Hey!" Arizona slapped Callie's hand when it started going a little too high up her inner thigh.

"Oops?" Callie smiled innocently. "It was an accident. My hand wants what it wants."

"Sure it was." Arizona focused her attention on Teddy, who was now standing in front of everyone. When Teddy saw that she had everyone's attention, she started talking.

"Okay, this is probably going to sound nuts to those of you who don't know the inner workings of Arizona and her brother, but I'm going to try and explain it anyway. Throughout high school and my first year of college, Arizona, Tim, and I used to sit on the ferry and stuff our faces with hot dogs and lemonade until we'd make ourselves sick. After awhile sitting around got boring, so Tim came up with this thing where we'd make stupid little bets and the losers would have to buy the winner a bag of carmel corn." Teddy noticed the questioning looks everyone was giving her. "It was the best carmel corn on the planet, trust me. The bets started off small. Like who could run to the end of the ferry and back the fastest without running into anyone. Or who could get the most girl's phone numbers. I obviously was not involved in that one. Arizona and Tim were very competitive with each other, so I kind of stayed out of most of them. It was safer."

"I won both of those." Arizona smiled.

"As we got older the bets got more messed up. Like who would get their first kiss first."

"Tim."

"Who would lose their virginity first."

"Me." Arizona smirked. She lowered her eyes at the disapproving look Callie gave her. "It's not like I went out and had sex for popcorn. It just happened to work out that way."

"Who would fall in love first."

"Tim and Teddy." Arizona smiled sadly.

"Stupid shit like that. Zona, do you remember what the last one was on the last ferry ride we took together?"

"Um..." Arizona thought about that last trip. It was in the summer between the year she graduated high school and Teddy's second year of college. They didn't know that would be the last time they'd be able to do that together. Life ended up getting too busy afterwards. Arizona was working full time at the bakery and she got a new girlfriend who was terrified of ferry boats, Teddy was busy with school, and Tim was busy with his tattoo clients. Her eyes snapped up to meet Teddy's smiling face when she remembered what it was. "Yeah, I didn't want to do it, because I knew for sure I was going to lose to you and Tim."

"We all know how much you hate to lose." Teddy rolled her eyes. "But you didn't lose, did you?"

"No..." Arizona looked at Callie, then back at Teddy. "I only won because Tim died. I can't accept that."

"You don't know that for sure, Zona. Tim and I talked about it at length and we agreed we didn't want to do it until I was completely done with med school, my internship, and my residency, which I'm not done with yet."

"Oh..." Arizona wasn't sure where Teddy was going with this.

"So..." Teddy picked up a box that Arizona didn't notice before and set it on Arizona's lap. "Tim and I owe you this."

"You didn't." Arizona stared at the box. There was only one thing that could be inside.

"I did. Before I came out here, I went to that vendor by the entrance to the ferry and bought everything he had. I had to pack an extra suitcase to get it all here."

"The same guy?"

"Yup, good ole creepy Carl." Teddy smiled. "You might want to open it. I've been fighting Cristina off it since we got on the ferry."

"I don't remember you bringing a box on here." Arizona didn't even remember seeing Teddy her on the ferry.

"You're too easily distracted by Callie."

"Oh..." Arizona did make Callie run to the front as soon as she boarded. She slowly opened the flaps of the box. She could smell the sweetness of the carmel corn before she even had a chance to look inside. "It smells as looks exactly the same."

"Tastes the same too. I couldn't resist trying it."

"Mariposa, can I ask how you won this?"

"I'm the first to get married." Arizona grinned and sat up to kiss her fiancée. "Want some?"

"Definitely." Callie took the bag Arizona gave her and watched as Teddy handed the rest out. "You guys were weird.

"Eh. We had fun." Arizona shrugged and put a handful of carmel corn in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back at the taste. "This is still so good."

"It's amazing." Everyone agreed.

"Can we go back outside?" Arizona asked Callie. She was feeling a lot of mixed emotions right now and wanted to be alone with her love.

"Of course." Callie knew by the look in Arizona's eyes that something was off. She made eye contact with Teddy and pointed outside to let her know what they were doing. When Teddy nodded, Callie took her fiancées hand and pulled her up. It seemed even colder when they got back outside. Arizona dropped Callie's hand and headed for the front. The brunette had no choice but to tighten her hood around her face and follow her. She leaned against the railing next to Arizona and quietly waited for her to sort out her thoughts.

"I just really wish he was here for this." Arizona said after a long silence.

"I know. Me too." Callie wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist and rested her head on her shoulder.

"He would have loved you and you would have loved him." Arizona leaned her head against Callie's. "You guys would have had a lot of fun ganging up on me."

"Yeah, probably." Callie smiled when Arizona laughed.

"I know I already said it, but tonight really has been one of the greatest nights ever. I didn't think anything could top the night you agreed to marry me or the night I agreed to marry you or the night Daniela was born on my birthday."

"I thought you didn't like your birthday."

"Now I have a beautiful little baby niece to share it with. It can't be so bad."

"When can we make ourselves one of those?" Callie didn't mean to bring it up so soon, but it felt like a good time to ask.

"Make one?" Arizona laughed. "We can't just get some ingredients, mix them together, and pop them in the oven to magically make a baby."

"That's kind of our it works, isn't it? We buy some sperm, mix it with one of our eggs, pop it in my oven, wait nine months, and then we have a beautiful baby of our own."

"You make it sound so romantic."

"I'm sorry."

"I do want to talk about this with you. Let's just get through the wedding first, okay?"

"I know." Callie turned her head to warm her face against Arizona's neck. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a moment." Arizona sighed. "I thought they'd stop by now."

"You're always going to have little moments like that and it's a good thing. It means he's alive inside you."

"I guess you're right." Arizona looked out over the large cargo cranes looming ahead of them in the darkness. "Can we do this again when it's not so dark and cold?"

"Of course. Just say when and we'll drive down for the weekend or something. Or we can stay at the beach house and do a day trip here. It's only about twenty miles up the coast."

"That sounds perfect." Arizona turned her head to kiss Callie's cold lips. "I can't even feel it."

"Me either." Callie laughed. The boat started to get slower and slower as they got closer to land. "Looks like we're approaching the dock."

"Aw man, I don't want the night to end."

"It's four thirty in the morning, I think it's safe to say the night is over."

"So, this is it?" Arizona asked when the ferry bumped against the dock. "This is when we're supposed to say goodbye to life as a fun single person and hello to boring married life?"

"I haven't felt very single over the last year and a half."

"You know what I mean, Calliope."

"I know." Callie placed a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead. "I have a feeling I'm going to love married life a whole lot more than single life."

"I know I'm going to."

"And it's definitely not going to be boring. It could never be boring with you."

"I know, you too. It also could never be boring with those guys in our lives." Arizona pointed at their friends who were stumbling out of the boats cabin. Alex had April over his shoulder again, Owen had Cristina over his, and Joe had Meredith. Mark and George were trying to prop Addison and Bailey up. Aria was rolling her eyes at everybody with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, clearly annoyed. Teddy and Lexie were trying to carry all of their stuff. "We should probably go help them."

"Yeah, probably. This is more fun though." Callie and Arizona went to grab some of the discarded sweatshirts and empty bottles. They slowly followed Owen up the boat ramp as he tried not to arouse Cristina from her alcohol induced coma. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day that Cristina Yang is finally beat by tequila."

The bus was able picked them up right at the exit of the ferry ramp, so they didn't have to go far. No one said a word on the short ride to the small private airport. Almost everyone had finally given into their exhaustion. As they drove up to the waiting plane, Callie wondered how they were going to get their sleeping and/or passed out friends onto it. The steep stairs were hard enough to climb up already. "Babe?" Callie shook Arizona, who was sleeping in her lap. "We have to get on the plane."

"Whyyyy?"

"So we can go home and sleep in our comfy bed."

"I'm comfy here."

"I'm not." Callie out her arms underneath the blonde and pushed up.

"Fine." Arizona stood up and bolted from the bus. Callie watched out the window as she climbed the stairs into the plane.

"Well that was easier than I thought." Callie looked around at everyone else. Mark and Owen seemed to have it under control, so she left the bus to follow her fiancée. She found her sitting in the back already asleep against the window. She sat down next to her and pulled her away from the window and into her. She smiled when Arizona let out a contented sigh in her arms. "I love you."

"I love you too, Calliope." Arizona mumbled.

"Go back to sleep." Callie smiled and rested her head back on the headrest as she waited for everyone to board. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until the plane slammed down roughly, startling her and everyone else awake. The plane filled with groans as the first signs of bright morning light filtered through the windows.

"Sorry about the rough landing folks." John said over the speaker with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Welcome home."

"If he did that on purpose, I'm going to kill him." Cristina growled. "Actually I'm going to kill him no matter what."

When the plane came to a complete stop, everyone climbed off and loaded the cars without much of a goodbye. They'd talk later when they were less cranky. Mark dropped Callie, Arizona, and Teddy off at the couple's house and took Lexie home with him. Callie was glad Teddy was there to help get Arizona up the stairs and into their bedroom. "Good night, Teddy. Thank you for everything."

"Good night Callie." Teddy glanced at her best friend. She was sprawled across her stomach on their bed and snoring lightly. "Take care of her okay?"

"Always." Callie smiled and shut the door. She turned back to Arizona and sighed. It's amazing how someone so small could manage to take up an entire king sized bed. She took off the blonde's shoes and unzipped her dress. When Callie tried to get her to sit up so she could undress her, she was met with groans of protest. She decided to just let Arizona just sleep in her dress and zipped it back up. She quickly changed out of her clothes and pushed the blonde over enough to give herself some room and crawled onto the bed next to her, using the quilt at the foot of the bed to cover them up. Arizona's body instinctively wiggled closer to Callie's as soon as the brunette put her arm around her. Callie snuggled closer and was asleep almost instantly, but not before she had one last thought.

_This really was the best night ever_.

* * *

**Go Giants?**


	43. Chapter 38

**I'm glad those of you who reviewed liked the last chapter and I hope everyone else did too. I had fun with it. I'm not sure drag queen roller disco even exists, but it really should. **

**Now I'm going to play and game of good news/bad news. **

**Bad news- This isn't the wedding chapter yet. **

**Good news- The next one is. **

**Bad news- The next one is also the last chapter. **

**Good news- I have decided to do a sequel to this story for sure, so it won't really be over. It will just be on a break while I focus on other things for a little bit. This chapter sets up some stuff that is going to happen in the sequel... kinda. Hopefully it comes across how I meant. **

* * *

"I died last night." Arizona whispered as soon as Callie finally opened her eyes. She had been watching the brunette sleep for an undetermined amount of time. She couldn't get any part of her body to move to do anything else. "Is this what being reborn feels like?"

"Huh?" Callie blinked. Arizona's face was so close to hers, their noses were touching. Her head hurt and her stomach was churning. She felt perfectly fine last night, it didn't seem fair she'd wake up feeling less than fine now. Sure she drank a lot, but it was spread out over a long period of time. Maybe she shouldn't have had so much food. "Huh?" She grunted again.

"I imagine living in the fetal position for months and then having my head pushed out of a vagina would make my body and head ache exactly like they are right now."

"You're not making any sense." Callie closed her eyes and tried to swallow. Her dry raw throat and lack of saliva made it difficult. She smacked her lips together a few times and inhaled deeply. "Babe, I love you, but my stomach is not happy and your stale alcohol breath right in my face is not helping."

"Rude!" Arizona laughed and immediately regretted it when pain shot through her head. "Ow."

"What time is it?" Callie croaked out and tried to swallow again. Her throat was killing her. Probably from standing out on that ferry or the beach. Most likely both.

"I have no idea."

"I can't move."

"Me either." Arizona was used to being on her feet and moving for hours at a time, but roller skating and dancing for hours was surprisingly rough on her muscles. "Maybe Teddy's alive and can bring us pain killers and coffee."

"No coffee." Callie groaned.

"What?" Arizona lifted her head up in alarm. Callie refusing coffee was unheard of. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" With a great amount of effort Callie was able to roll herself over to look at the clock. "It's one in the afternoon."

"Yikes." Arizona slowly rolled onto her back. "How come you're half naked and I'm still in my dress?"

"I couldn't get it off of you." Callie rolled onto her back and used her pillow to cover her eyes. "More sleep please."

*knock, knock, knock* "Rise and shine!" Teddy yelled cheerily through the door.

"What. The. Fuck." Callie groaned. "Make her go away."

"I have Advil and I have tea!" Teddy knocked again.

"Do you still want her to go away?"

"No." Callie reached down to make sure the quilt was covering her bare chest. "Okay."

"Come in!" Arizona and Callie both let out a dissatisfied moan at the blonde's raised voice.

"Looks like we had fun last night." Teddy smiled and put the tray she brought in down on the nightstand next to Arizona.

"We did." Arizona sat up and took four Advil out of the bottle and handed them to Callie before taking four for herself.

"Good thing there's a whole month until your wedding. Looks like you're going to need it to recover."

"Shut up Teds."

"You two need to get up and get dressed. I'm tired of entertaining your family, though the kids sure are cute."

"Alexa and Daniela are here?" Callie perked up.

"Yes and they brought your sister and mother with them."

"Shit, I totally forgot." Callie sat up and leaned against the headboard, forgetting to hold the quilt up.

"Woah, Callie." Teddy quickly covered her eyes. "We're not that close."

"Sorry." Callie leaned over to pick a discarded tshirt off the floor and put it on. Arizona's slobiness did came in handy sometimes. "You can look now."

"Forgot what?" Arizona matched her fiancées position against the headboard and handed her a mug of tea.

"My final dress fitting is at three and it's in down in Sac." Callie took a sip of the hot tea and smiled as it soothed her throat. "This feels good."

"Oh yeah and Teddy and I are supposed to watch the tiny humans." Arizona frowned. That didn't sound like fun considering her current state.

"I don't remember agreeing to that." Teddy was sure of it. She didn't do babies.

"You didn't." Arizona knew all about Teddy's irrational fear of babies, so she didn't tell her. "It's not going to kill you."

"I should take a shower, before my mother comes up here to get me herself." Callie lifted up the covers to make sure she still had underwear on. After she saw that she did, she pulled the quilt off and swung her legs over the bed. She planted her feet on the ground and gingerly stood up. Once she was sure her aching legs were going to hold her up she made her way into the bathroom.

"I need a shower too." Arizona sighed and got up. She could move a little better, so the Advil must already be working. Without another word to Teddy she disappeared into the bathroom with Callie.

"I guess I'll just go back downstairs then." Teddy said to the empty room. "Thanks for the Advil, Teddy. Thanks for making us tea, Teddy. Thanks for enduring a screaming baby and hyper child and making awkward small talk with my mother so we can sleep in later, Teddy. You're the most amazing friend in the world, Teddy." Teddy mumbled to herself as she went back downstairs. She immediately about faced when she got to the bottom and heard Daniela crying again.

"Mind if I join you?" Arizona asked as she poked her head in the shower.

"Of course not." Callie grinned when Arizona stepped in behind her. "I see you're moving okay."

"Getting there." Arizona closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure when the scalding hot water hit her back. She moaned when she felt Callie's fingers in her hair. She let the brunette finish washing her hair before switching positions so she could do the same. "Excited about your fitting?"

"I ate and drank so much last night, I don't know if it's going to fit. Not sure how to explain that to my mother."

"Teddy's probably told her all about it already. She has no parent filter whatsoever."

"Great." Callie rolled her head back as Arizona massaged her scalp. "You have magic fingers."

"So I've heard." Arizona smirked.

"Do you think you and Teddy can handle the girls?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Arizona rinsed Callie's hair and wrapped her arms around her waist. She placed a kiss on her shoulder before resting her cheek between her shoulder blades. "It will be good practice for when we have our own."

"Yeah..." Callie smiled and sighed in content. "You feel good."

"So do you." Arizona let go and picked up Callie's body wash. She squirted some in her hand and began rubbing her hands over the brunette's body. "Do you want a boy or a girl first?"

"Um..." Callie was thrown off by the question. "I really don't have a preference."

"I bet your father would love to have a grandson."

"Definitely." Callie laughed. "I'm not sure he'd know what to do. He's been surrounded by girls his whole life."

"I wouldn't mind a little boy. I need more testosterone in the bakery."

"Plan on putting our kids to work early, huh?" When Arizona was finished with her, Callie grabbed the blonde's soap and started to do the same.

"Heck yeah. Those kids won't be getting anything they didn't work hard for."

"I agree."

"And don't even think about giving them any tattoos before they're eighteen. I prefer they wait longer, actually." Arizona turned around to face Callie when the brunette suddenly stopped her hands movements. "What?"

"Where is all this coming from?"

"I just thought we should be on the same page about these things." Arizona pecked Callie's lips. "No tattoos."

"I know. I wouldn't do that." Callie shook her head. Between her lingering headache and this random conversation in the shower, she was massively confused.

"Do you think you're ready for the mommy life? No more Joes whenever you want. No more random trips on a whim. No more motorcycles."

"Woah, woah, woah. I'm stopping you right there. Why would we have to give up our bikes?" Callie waited for Arizona to think about a good answer.

"Okay, we can keep those."

"And we can still do the trips, when they're older. I'm okay with only doing Joes every once in awhile, especially after last night."

"But what about all the other stuff that comes along with it? Like losing your precious sleep."

"I don't care." Callie shrugged and smiled. "Why? Are you saying you want to start trying?"

"I meant what I said last night. I want to wait. I want to just be married for a little bit first. I'm sorry." Arizona felt bad about the look of disappointment on Callie's face.

"It's okay, I understand. Just as long as you're open to trying eventually."

"Of course I am. I want to experience it all with you."

"I can't wait." Callie grinned.

"You think we have time for a quickie?" Arizona placed her hand against Callie's chest and pushed her against the shower wall. There was a loud knock on their bathroom door before she even had a chance to kiss her. "What?!"

"Um, Callie. Your mother is trying to measure the length of my hair with a tape measure. A tape measure! I don't even know why." Teddy knocked again. "I know you're in there!"

"We'll be right out!" Arizona growled and took a step back from Callie. "Guess that answered my question."

"I'm sorry, babe. Next time." Callie reached over and shut off the water. "I don't think you should be kissing me right now anyway. I think I might be sick. My throat is really sore."

"Are you sure you should be going out today then?" Arizona stepped out of the shower to grab a towel and wrapped it around the brunette's body. She wrapped another towel around her own. "You should stay home so I can take care of you."

"As much as I would prefer that, this is the only day we could go. Besides, I'm kind of excited to see my dress again."

"I want to see it too." Arizona pouted.

"You have to wait. You wouldn't let me see yours when we were there."

"I would have. You wouldn't let yourself see it."

"Don't you want to be surprised?" Callie cracked the bathroom door open to make sure Teddy wasn't lurking in their room. When she saw that she wasn't, she opened the door the rest of the way and went to the closet to find something to wear. Today was definitely a pair of old jeans, a comfortable worn out tshirt, and flip flops kind of day.

"Yes and no."

"It's going to be worth the wait, I promise."

"I have no doubts about that." Arizona walked over to Callie to give her a hug. "How's your stomach?"

"It's feeling a lot better."

"Are you decent?!" Teddy yelled through the bedroom door.

"Why is she my best friend again?" Arizona quickly pulled on yesterday's jeans and one of Callie's tshirts. She didn't need to go outside the house today, so she was going to be as comfortable as she could possibly be.

"Because she helped plan the best bachelorette party we could ever ask for"?

"Oh, right. How are we ever going to top that when Mark and Teddy get married?"

"I have no idea."

"Since you're not answering me, I'm going to just come in anyway." Teddy slowly pushed opened the door and sighed in relief when she saw that both women were dressed. "That girl has told me the same stupid joke five times now. I have to it admit it was kind of funny the first time, but the next four times was just annoying."

"Aunties!" Alexa came running into the bedroom and immediately started jumping on the bed.

"Lex, no yelling please." Arizona's headache was almost gone by now, but she didn't need the little girl to make it worse.

"Why is Peter Pan always flying?" Alexa asked as she jumped higher.

"I don't know, Lex. Why?"

"Because he never lands." Teddy said flatly.

"I don't like that lady." Alexa stopped jumping and glared at Teddy. "She's not nice."

"So, I'm going to go." Callie gave a kiss on the cheek to Arizona and Alexa. "You have fun with that."

"What? No kiss for me?"

"Sorry, Teds. Those are reserved only for my three favorite girls." Callie smiled. "Take care of them while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah." Teddy rolled her eyes. This was not her idea of a vacation.

"Calliope, why on earth is your hair wet?" Lucia asked when Callie finally appeared in the living room. Her hair was leaving a wet patch on her ratty old tshirt, she wasn't wearing any make up, and there was a hole in the knee of her jeans.

"Because I took a shower and hi to you too Mama."

"You can't go to the bridal shop looking like that."

"Why not? They're not going to kick us out until they take all of Daddy's money." Callie turned to her sister, who was lying down on the couch with Daniela on her chest. Both mother and daughter seemed to be sleeping. "Hey, Ari. How you feeling?"

"I'm just tired. This girl didn't care that I didn't get home until six in the morning. She was still up by six thirty." Aria cracked one eye open. "You look like shit."

"Aria!"

"Sorry, Mother." Aria was so tired she forgot her mother was even there. "Where's Arizona? She alive?"

"Yeah. She's upstairs with Alexa." Callie really wanted to take her niece in her arms, but wasn't sure if she was really sick or not, so she just admired her from a distance.

"Okay, I'm going to put this one in the crib up there and then we can go. Are you sure Arizona is okay with this?"

"Are you kidding? She loves them."

"Yeah, for now. Alexa has been extra difficult lately." Aria slowly stood up, so she wouldn't wake the sleeping baby. "I'll be right back."

"Calliope, please at least change that god awful shirt."

"What's wrong with my shirt?" Callie looked down at the plain dark purple tshirt she was wearing. There wasn't anything offensive on it, no stains, and no holes. She thought she did pretty well for not really giving a shit. She was half tempted to go and change into a shirt that did have a hole in it, but knew Arizona wouldn't let her get away with it.

"It's all wet now and it's not very flattering to your beautiful figure." Lucia couldn't believe Callie would let herself be seen in public like this.

"Mama, it's fine." Callie looked up when she saw Aria coming back down the stairs. "All set?"

"All set. Arizona promised Alexa they'd bake cookies today, so she's pretty excited." Aria picked up her purse and keys from the coffee table. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Callie was surprised how much Aria has changed. When Alexa was a baby she would rarely leave her with anyone and would cry if it was unavoidable. Now she seemed almost relived. Maybe it was just second baby syndrome kicking in. "Bye!" Callie yelled up the stairs.

"Bye!" Arizona and Alexa yelled back in unison, followed by a loud crash, and a burst of giggles.

"I just hope Arizona and Teddy are still in one piece when we get back." Aria shook her head and sighed. She was grateful Arizona was willing to watch her kids, because she really needed a break.

"Me too." Callie smiled. Her home filled with laughter was music to her ears.

* * *

"Teds, all you have to do is sit in your room and listen. Come get me if she wakes up."

"But what if she does wake up?" Teddy eyed the sleeping baby wearily. She'd rather be napping right now too.

"I just told you to come get me. Alexa and I are going to be in the kitchen. I have a feeling she just needs some one on one time."

"Do I get some of those cookies?"

"If you be a good girl and do as you're told."

"Fine." Teddy huffed and stomped off to her room. "Those better be damn good cookies!"

"It's okay, baby girl. Teds won't hurt you." Arizona smiled as she ran her hand gently over the soft fuzz on top of the baby's head. "I'm going to go spend some time with your sister, but I'll be back." Arizona kissed the top of her head and left the room, making sure to leave the door cracked. She and Callie had set up that room with a crib and a bed in case the girls ever stayed for the day or night.

"Can we make cookies now, Auntie Zona?"

"Yes, we can make cookies now." Arizona squatted down so Alexa could jump on her back. "You're getting big."

"I know! Maybe I can ride the big rides at the fair next year."

"Maybe." Arizona carried her down the stairs and set her on a stool. "What kind of cookies should we make?"

"I like the ones with the nuts in them."

"You're going to have to narrow it down for me."

"Peanuts."

"How about peanut butter cookies then?" Those were easy enough.

"Okay."

"Do you want to get our aprons while I get the ingredients out?"

"Sure." Alexa jumped off the stool and went into the pantry. Arizona noticed that she seemed down.

"Lex, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Alexa handed Arizona an apron and put hers on. It was pink and covered in cupcakes. Her aunt bought it for her for Christmas. She climbed back on the stool and stared at Arizona.

"How's having a new baby sister?" Arizona asked. She could read those eyes as easily as she could read Callie's and something was definitely wrong.

"It's okay." Alexa shrugged.

"Just okay?"

"I love her..."

"But?"

"She makes Mommy sad."

"I don't think that's true." Arizona frowned.

"She seems sad all the time now. Dani is always crying and Mommy's always getting mad at me and Daddy's always at work."

"I think your mom is just tired. New babies are a lot of work." Arizona set the ingredients on the counter in front of Alexa. "Have you offered to help her?"

"No."

"Lex, you're the best helper I know. You should offer to help your mom and then she'd be less tired. I'd bet she'd be super happy for your help too."

"Really?" Alexa smiled.

"Really. Just try okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Alexa picked up the butter, unwrapped it, and threw it in the big bowl Arizona gave her. Next she drug the jar of sugar closer to her and turned on the scale. "How much sugar?"

"Seven ounces." Arizona smiled as she watched the little girl do the measurements herself. They've done this together quite a few times since the first time they made muffins together. Alexa was already mastering some of the easier things, like not getting eggshells in the batter and not flinging batter all over the kitchen and them with the mixer. She continued to tell her how much of everything to put in as Alexa did all the measuring and mixing herself. When it was done, Arizona handed her a cookie scoop and let her do that herself too. When she was done portioning them, Arizona stuck them in the oven and set the timer. "Great job, Lex. You made these all by yourself. I'm sure they'll be delicious when they're ready."

"I hope so. I want to make Mommy smile."

"She will love them." Arizona bent down to give Alexa a hug. "You know your mom and dad love you and your sister very much right?"

"Yeah, I know. Can we go see Dani? I miss her."

"Of course." Arizona stood up and held out her hand. When they got to the room, they could see the baby was just waking up. "Do you know how to change a diaper?"

"No, I've only watched."

"Then I'm going to teach you." Arizona gently picked up Daniela and laid her on the changing table. "That will make your Mommy very happy, trust me."

* * *

"This is fun." Lucia said from the back seat of Aria's SUV. Callie and Aria have been talking and laughing about the night before for the last twenty minutes of their drive. They almost forgot their mother was even in the car with them. "Having both of my girls together like this. Just the three of us. You both seem very happy and that's all a mother could ever ask for."

"Yeah, Mama. It is." Callie and Aria exchanged small smiles. Their mother was right. They couldn't remember the last time it was just the three of them.

"I can't wait to see your dress again, Calliope. You have good taste. You must get it from me." Lucia laughed. "It's definitely not from your father."

"Thanks?" Callie glanced at Aria again. They both agreed that their mother was in a weird mood.

"It seems like you guys had a good time last night?"

"We did. It was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad." Lucia looked out the window thoughtfully for a minute. "So, Calliope, I've been thinking."

"Oh?" The exaggerated casualness in her mother's voice told Callie that couldn't be good.

"Actually, Barbara and I have been talking."

"About what?" Now Callie knew this couldn't be good.

"Children."

"What about them?" Callie gave Aria a questioning look, but her sister just shrugged.

"We were wondering how it's going to work."

"Mama! I'm not discussing that with you. Arizona and I have barely even talked about it. You just had a granddaughter."

"I know and I love both of my granddaughters very much. Barbara doesn't have any of her own though and I've always wanted my house full of them."

"You make it sound they're a collection."

"No I don't." Lucia paused. "So would you be having them or Arizona? Or both? Who's going to be the father?"

"Mother, stop." Aria glared at her in the rearview mirror.

"What? I'm just curious. She should get used to questions like these."

"Aria, it's fine." Callie turned in her seat to face her mother. "We're doing an anonymous donor." She raised her eyebrow, daring her mother to say anything negative about that.

"Oh." Lucia thought for a minute. "Well, I think that's great."

"You do?" Callie and Aria said at the same time, both clearly surprised.

"Yes, whatever you two decide, I'll support it. It's not really my business anyway."

"No, it's not." Callie turned to face forward again.

"How long do you think it'll be until one of you is pregnant?"

"Mama!" "Mother!"

"Alright, I'm sorry. I'll stop."

"Thank you."

"Actually, I have one more thing to say." Even though she couldn't see their faces, Lucia could practically feel both her daughters rolling their eyes at her. It reminded her of when they were little. "You should really consider adoption too. They are a lot of children out there who could benefit from having you and Arizona as their mothers."

"It's not off the table." Callie turned around again and gave her mom a contemplative look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You have changed, haven't you?" It finally clicked in Callie's head.

"Do we really have to go over this again?" Lucia was irritated by the circles they've run around over the past year.

"No." Callie smiled. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, Calliope. I'm sorry I ever made you doubt that." Lucia smiled back. Callie turned back around without saying anything else.

"What should I report back to Barbara?" Lucia asked after a long silence. She smiled when Callie laughed. "She's a very persistent woman."

"Oh trust me, I know." Callie laughed again. "Just tell her we're getting there."

"I doubt that's enough, but I'll try."

"Why isn't she asking Arizona? Instead of going through you."

"I guess she's been banned from asking for at least six months."

"Sounds about right." Callie shook her head and smiled in amusement. Callie was almost disappointed when they pulled up to the bridal shop twenty minutes later. She was enjoying the easy going conversion she was having with her sister and mother. But then she remembered that her dress was waiting for her inside and jumped out of the car to go inside.

"Ms. Torres, it looks like we don't need to do anymore adjustments, so feel free to take it home today." The shop owner said once she was done going over the dress on the brunette's body. She looked up to make sure Callie heard her when she didn't say anything. "Ms. Torres?"

"Hmm?" Callie was so entranced by how much more she loved her dress now that it was tailored to fit her body perfectly, she had no idea what was going on around her.

"I said you can take it home today, if you want."

"Okay." Callie smiled when Aria and Lucia stepped next to her in the mirror. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm jealous. My wedding dress was nowhere near this gorgeous."

"And it cost twice as much." Lucia grinned. "Calliope, you've never looked more beautiful, even though your hair is a mess."

"Thank you." Callie decided to ignore the hair comment, since she was right. It was a mess right now. Letting it air dry naturally was always a crapshoot.

"Now take it off so I can go home and see my babies."

"I was wondering when that would come up." Callie stepped off the little podium she was standing on and went back into the dressing room. She was eager to get home too.

* * *

"It's really quiet." Callie whispered to Aria when they opened the door to her house. All the lights were off and there wasn't a single sound throughout her home. The smell of freshly baked cookies still lingering in the air made Callie's mouth water.

"Way too quiet." Aria shifted her worried eyes around as she climbed the stairs. "Do you think they killed each other?"

"No. Wore each other out would be more like it." Callie followed Aria to the room she and Arizona dubbed the niece room and saw no one was in there. She saw that the guest door was open, but hers was closed. When she saw Teddy laying on her the guest bed reading, she tapped quietly on the doorframe to not startle her. "Hey, where is everyone?"

"I think they're in your room."

"How'd it go?"

"Good, I guess. I stayed in here the whole time catching up on work stuff. Arizona did it all by herself."

"Poor thing." Aria knew that was not easy. "She'll probably never watch them again."

"I'm sure she would. It sounded like they were having fun and the cookies were amazing."

"I'm going to go see what they're doing." Callie went to the end of the hall and pushed open her door. Her heart nearly exploded at the site of the three girls plus Sonny passed out in a heap in the middle of her bed. Arizona had Daniela laying on her chest, Alexa was wrapped around her legs, and Sonny was nestled on the pillow by the blonde's head. "Aria." She whispered. "Come here."

"They sure are cute when they're sleeping, aren't they?" Aria smiled. She and Callie were leaning against opposite sides of the doorframe as they watched their entire world sleep.

"Adorable." Callie smiled when Arizona let out a small sigh. "I don't have the heart to wake them up."

"I know, but Dana's going to be home soon and I miss my husband."

"You can leave them here." Callie said hopefully.

"I was already away from them last night." Aria loved how much her sister loved her kids, but she missed them too much. "Maybe sometime next week?"

"Yeah, we'd like that." Callie entered the room and placed a kiss on Arizona's forehead. The blonde smiled sleepily at the contact, but didn't seem to wake up. "Mariposa, the girls have to go."

"Lex, honey. Mommy's back." Aria bent over and kissed the top of her daughters curls. "I missed you."

"Mommy?" Alexa let go of Arizona's legs and rolled onto her back. "I missed you too."

"What time is it?" Arizona asked when she opened her eyes to see Callie smiling at her. She was disoriented from the weird sleeping schedule and there was something heavy on her chest. She looked down to see the top of a baby's head. "Oh crap, we fell asleep?"

"You did." Callie ran her hand through Arizona's hair. "And it's about seven, I think."

"Here let me take her." Aria lifted Daniela off the blonde. "I'm going to go change her."

"Mommy, I can do it." Alexa said, jumping off the bed.

"You can?"

"Aunt Zona taught me. I want to help you more so you'll be less tired."

"Really?" Aria's eyes flickered to Arizona and back to her daughter. "Want to show me?

"Okay." Alexa left the room to get the stuff she needed.

"I'll definitely be using that to my advantage." Aria said when she was gone.

"She thinks your sad and that you're mad at her all the time."

"That is not true at all." Aria frowned.

"I know. I told her that. I said you're probably just tired from having a new baby."

"I guess we'll need to go home and have a talk." Aria sighed. She didn't realize Alexa was feeling that way. "Thanks so much for doing this, Arizona."

"It's my pleasure. Alexa was a big help."

"I'm going to take these guys and leave you two alone now." Aria picked up Alexa's shoes that were on the bed and headed for the door. "Oh, Arizona. I saw Callie in her dress and you're going to be blown away."

"Aria!" Callie scolded. "I said no hints!"

"That's not a hint, it's a given." Aria winked and left to find Alexa.

"She's right, that is a given." Arizona reached her arms out and pulled Callie down on the bed. "I'm glad you're home."

"Me too." Callie settled herself in Arizona's arms. "You looked really cute surrounded by the girls and Sonny."

"They're the cute ones." Arizona took a minute to gather her thoughts. She realized something over the past few hours and wasn't sure how to bring it up, especially since she just told Callie she didn't want to talk about it yet. "So, Calliope, I've been thinking."

"That sounded creepily familiar." Callie laughed.

"What?"

"My mom said the same exact thing to me before asking me a bunch of questions about how we plan on having babies. Did you know your mom and her have been talking about it?"

"That doesn't surprise me." Arizona rolled her eyes. Her mom never gave up. "What did she ask?"

"She wanted to know who was going to have them. Who the father was going to be. When we're going to start trying." Callie absentmindedly started running her fingers up and down Arizona's arm. "Told me we should consider adopting."

"What'd you tell her?"

"I just told her we want an anonymous donor and adoption wasn't off the table. I'm sorry, I interrupted. What were you going to say?"

"Kind of the same thing actually." Arizona noticed Callie's fingers stopped moving, but the brunette didn't say anything. "Callie?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just confused." She was feeling like this a lot today. She really needed some sleep.

"I realized today that I don't want to wait."

"Wait for what?" Callie sat up on her elbows so she could see the blonde's face. She didn't dare get her hopes up again and have them dashed twice in the same day.

"To start trying for kids."

"You just told me like six hours ago you wanted to wait."

"Yeah, well I changed my mind."

"Arizona, you can't keep doing that. You can't get my hopes up and then dash them and then change your mind and then probably dash them again."

"I know, I'm sorry. I promise I'm not going to change my mind again. I want to do this. What if we wait and then it takes years to even get pregnant. I can't wait that long."

"What if we don't wait and get pregnant on the first try?"

"I'm okay with that."

"Are you?" Callie watched Arizona's eyes to see if whatever answer she gave her was truthful.

"Yes. I'm absolutely okay with that." The stunning smile that lit up Callie's face made Arizona's heart skip a beat. She laughed when the brunette suddenly jumped up and pressed her lips hard against her own. She decided she didn't care if she got sick, kissing Callie in this moment was much more important. She placed her hands on either side of Callie's face and pulled her in closer. They leisurely moved their lips together until Arizona dropped her hands and Callie pulled back.

"I really love you and I really want to start practicing right now, but I can barely hold my own head up." Callie said as she laid back down in her fiancées arms.

"I'm totally with you there." Arizona could really use another round of Advil.

"Hey, I'm going to go to sleep." Teddy said from the doorway. "I didn't sleep much last night."

"Have you guys heard anything from anyone else?" Callie asked. She'd been so focused on other things today she just realized she didn't know if her other friends were alive or not.

"I haven't."

"Me either."

"Eh, I'm sure they're fine." Callie shrugged. "Good night Teddy."

"Night Teds."

"Goodnight ladies." Teddy smiled and went back to her room. Babysitting was exhausting.

"I can't believe I'm considering going to bed before eight. I don't even want to get up to change." Callie yawned and snuggled herself closer to her fiancée. "We're old."

"No, we're awesome."

"I'm not sure how that makes us awesome, but it's better than being old. I'll take it."

"So, how'd the fitting go? Drink too many Sangrias? Ate too much jello?"

"No, it was perfect. My dress is now hanging in my closet at my parents."

"Thanks for telling me exactly where to go to sneak a peek. You've made it much easier for me."

"Don't you dare!" Callie swatted Arizona's shoulder playfully.

"Or what?"

"Or I won't marry you."

"Yes you would." Arizona closed her eyes and tangled her fingers in Callie's hair. She couldn't remember the last time she was this tired. "You'd marry me no matter what."

"You're right, I would." Callie closed her eyes and thought about her day. It was short, but full. She really wanted to go put her dress back on. The fact that it was now officially hers and in her possession made the wedding feel more real. Arizona was startled out of her half asleep state when Callie sat up suddenly. "Holy shit, we're getting married!"

"You scared me." Arizona groaned. She was so close to much needed heavenly slumber.

"I'm sorry." Callie laid back down. "I'm just excited."

"I know. Me too. Can we sleep now and be excited tomorrow?"

"Yes." Callie kissed Arizona's cheek. "Go to sleep." When the blonde feel asleep immediately, Callie crawled out of the bed. She was suddenly wide awake. She grabbed her phone and went downstairs.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mark." Callie walked into the kitchen to find a plate of peanut butter cookies on the counter. She broke one in half and popped it in her mouth. She was kidding herself when she thought she'd be able to eat only half. She picked up the other half plus another whole one and brought them with her to the back porch.

"Hey, you did survive." Mark laughed when he heard his best friends hoarse voice. "Barely it sounds like."

"Just a sore throat and sore muscles left."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised. You and Blondie were tearing up that dance floor. I don't know how you two did it."

"It was fun. Really fun. I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to, Cals. The look plastered on both your faces all night was all the thanks I needed."

"Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Lexie talked to Mer, who stayed the night at Yangs and Owens. They were all okay. Not sure about the rest."

"I'm getting married in three weeks and five days."

"I know?"

"I can't believe it's happening. I still think I'm going to wake up and find out I've been dreaming this whole time."

"You're definitely not dreaming."

"Feels like a dream to me. A really amazing dream."

"Cals, you are just living your real life dream."

"Wow Mark." Callie couldn't help but laugh at what he said, even though it was completely true.

"Is this why you're calling me?"

"Arizona fell asleep."

"Oh so you call your second best thing to entertain you?"

"Pretty much."

"Thanks a lot."

"Are you and Lexie going to have kids?"

"Eventually." Mark was used to Callie's sudden changes in conversations, so he didn't even blink. "She's still pretty young. She's not ready yet, but she is interested."

"Not to put any pressure on you or anything, but I want our kids to be best friends, so get on that."

"Remember when we'd try to plan the next greatest rager, not trying to plan when we'd have play dates?"

"I'm over it." Callie finished off her second cookie. "I much prefer sitting on the porch of my own home, eating the best peanut butter cookies ever made, while the love of my life sleeps upstairs over sitting on the porch of a strangers house drinking myself sick while trying to avoid a contact high."

"You seemed pretty happy to be there back then."

"I was an idiot. I didn't know any better."

"We were idiots."

"I'm glad you agree. When our kids are best friends, they're not allowed to do all the stupid shit we did."

"Good luck with that." Mark held up his finger when Lexie walked in the room. "As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I have to go."

"Lexie?" Callie smiled. The change in his voice told her exactly what was making him have to go.

"Who else?"

"Oh so, now I'm your second best thing?"

"We always knew it was going to happen."

"I know." Callie didn't know how to admit it to Mark before, but Arizona has become her best friend as well as her lover. She realized now that Lexie was the same to him and she was okay with that. "And I couldn't be happier, no offense."

"None taken." Mark could see his girlfriend was getting impatient. "I really have to go now."

"Okay. Tell Lexie hi for me."

"Will do. Goodnight, Cal-Cals."

"Night, Momo." Callie hung up her phone and pushed her legs against the ground to make the porch swing rock her. The sky was clear and the breeze was the perfect amount of cool. This was the first night she felt like Fall was finally coming and she wanted to enjoy it, so she got up to go make herself some hot apple cider. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Teddy in her pajamas rummaging through the fridge. "Hey, I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I tried." Teddy let out a frustrated growl. "I think I'm so tired, I've passed that point where I can't sleep."

"I was about to make myself some hot cider and go outside to enjoy the first fall like night of the year. You're welcome to join me."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Teddy smiled. She and Callie haven't really had the chance to spend some alone time together. She watched as the brunette boiled some water and filled two mugs. When Callie picked up the ciders, Teddy grabbed the plate of cookies and followed her to the porch swing. She sat down and set the cookies in her lap before taking the mug Callie was holding out to her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Callie sat on the swing next to Teddy and helped herself to another cookie. "This is my third one in twenty minutes."

"I'm not even going to tell you how many I've had already. Alexa practically made these all by herself. She was rather proud of herself."

"Arizona's a good teacher. She's great with her."

"I saw that. I was surprised."

"Why?" That didn't make any sense to Callie. Arizona was amazing with her niece from day one.

"When we were growing up, she was never really interested in children. It was something we had in common. Tim never understood it."

"Really? She told me she wanted kids." Callie had a hard time not dropping her mug from the shock of Arizona not actually wanting kids.

"I think you misunderstood me." Teddy could see the panic rising in Callie and cursed at herself. "She definitely wants them, especially with you."

"You've talked about it?" Callie took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

"Yes and she's very excited about it, so don't freak out."

"So you don't want them still?"

"I don't know. I'd be happy just being cool aunt Teddy. Maybe if the right person came along." Teddy used her long legs to swing them back and forth as she thought about what could have been. "I would have had Tim's in a heartbeat."

"I'm sorry. That must have been unbearable." Callie couldn't imagine losing Arizona right now. In fact, she knew she wouldn't survive it. Teddy was an incredibly strong woman.

"It still is." Teddy halted the swings movements. "You know, I am a doctor. You should let me look at your throat."

"It's fine." Callie wasn't sure what to say to Teddy about Tim, so she welcomed the change of subject.

"At least let it rest."

"I said, it's fine."

"Oh you're the doctor now?"

"I could have been a doctor." Callie said with a cocky smile.

"I believe it." Teddy took a bite of her cookie and started to swing them again. "Can I bounce something off you?"

"Of course."

"I don't really want Zona to know. Not yet at least."

"Okay." Callie wasn't sure how she felt keeping anything from her fiancée, but if Teddy felt comfortable enough to talk to her, she wanted to keep her trust.

"I've been thinking about applying for positions out here when I'm done with my residency, which isn't too far off. I don't really have anything left for me in New York and after spending time with you guys and your friends, I kind of love it here. I'm dreading going home tomorrow. Even if this town is the size of the building I live in."

"Teddy, that would be amazing." Callie grinned. "Arizona would be thrilled."

"I know, that's why I don't want her to know. Just in case I can't get anything."

"You'd have to commute if you lived here. Arizona told me how talented you are and the hospital in this town is pretty small."

"I know. I've looked into it. There's a great hospital less than an hour from here. I'd actually consider it even if I didn't have ties here."

"Would you live there or here? Either way, it's a hell of a lot closer than New York."

"I don't know yet. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I get there. You think I should do it, huh?"

"I'll fill the application out if I have to. It would be hard to be cool Aunt Teddy from all the way across the country."

"That's true. I have a feeling any kid of yours or Arizona's would have me wrapped around their little adorable finger."

"Any kid of Arizona's would have us all screwed."

"So true." Teddy laughed. "Okay, I'm going to do it."

"Do what?" Callie and Teddy turned around to find Arizona standing behind them.

"Damn you're sneaky." Teddy stalled.

"What are you going to do?" Arizona asked again.

"I was asking if I should say yes to this guy who asked me out at work."

"Oh, well then you definitely should if he's not a creep." Arizona wedged herself between her fiancée and best friend. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"We couldn't sleep so we're having cider and saying hi to Fall."

"Ah, your favorite."

"What are you doing up?"

"I woke up and you were gone. Then I saw Teddy's room was empty. I had to come make sure you two weren't in cahoots with each other."

"We wouldn't tell you if we were." Callie winked at Teddy.

"Can you sleep now?"

"I think I can try." Callie kissed the blondes temple and stood up. "Goodnight again, Teddy. Keep me updated on how it goes with that guy."

"Goodnight guys." Teddy stayed outside after they went back in. She couldn't get over how quiet and peaceful it is here and you could actually see stars for days here. The exact opposite to life in New York. Maybe moving out here would be exactly what she needed. She hoped something worked out.

"So what were you and Teddy really talking about?" Arizona asked as she changed her clothes.

"Saw right through that, huh?"

"Teddy has always been a horrible liar."

"I can't tell you."

"But I'm going to be your wife."

"I know and as your wife, I need to have the complete trust of your best friend. She asked me not to say anything."

"You'd be pissed if Mark and I had a secret." Arizona climbed into bed next to Callie and pressed her front into her fiancées back.

"Need I remind you about the tattoo thing? You guys kept that from me for months."

"Oh yeah." Callie had her there. "Fine, I'll drop it. For now."

"Thank you."

"You're not going to disappear if I fall sleep again are you?"

"No, I'll stay. I promise."

_I'll always stay. _


	44. Chapter 39: My wife

"Calliope!" Arizona yelled into their house and slammed the door. She was livid and she needed to see Callie's face to calm her down or she was going to punch something.

"In the kitchen!"

"They threw me out of my own bakery! My bakery!" Arizona immediately walked up to Callie and buried her face in the brunette's neck. She could already feel her anger melting away as she inhaled the scent of her fiancée mixed with whatever was cooking on the stove. It was her favorite smell in the world. Even better than fresh baked bread and cookies straight from the oven.

"Who did?" Callie set down the spoon she was stirring her sauce with and wrapped her arms around Arizona.

"My parents! And Lexie and Meredith." Arizona huffed. "Damn traitors. They supposed to be on my side."

"Why did they kick you out?"

"They want to work on our cake. Why did you agree to let them surprise us? You were supposed to be the one to say no and now I'm not allowed in my own bakery."

"Like I could say no to your mom." Callie laughed. She trusted them to make them a gorgeous cake and didn't really care what they did. "Look on the bright side, you get to spend more time with me now."

"That's true." Arizona pecked Callie on the lips and went to get them each a beer out of the fridge. She didn't care what time it was. "Where's Teds?"

"Uh, she's with Addison." Callie hoped she didn't ask what they were doing.

"Doing what?"

"Some errands, I think." That wasn't really a lie. Addison had taken Teddy to an interview at the hospital the doctor hoped to work for. "I think Teddy was getting bored just sitting around here."

"So, we're all alone?" Arizona perked up. For the past two days their house has been full of her parents and best friend. She loved them, but her parents were starting to get on her nerves, especially after today.

"Yes and I know what you're thinking. No sex."

"But why?" Arizona sat on a stool and pouted.

"We agreed on no sex for a month before the wedding."

"Well, that didn't work out, now did it?" Arizona said with a smug smile.

"Then we agreed on no sex for two weeks before the wedding."

"That's dumb."

"You can wait two more days, babe."

"But-"

"Two days. It'll be worth the wait, I promise."

"Fine." Arizona slouched in her seat in defeat. She had no idea why she agreed to such a thing.

"Hello?!" Teddy called into the house.

"In the kitchen!" Callie and Arizona yelled back.

"Mmm, it smells amazing Cal." Teddy grinned widely when she came into the kitchen. "I'm looking forward to being able to eat here at least five days a week."

"You got it?" Callie asked hopefully.

"I did."

"Congratulations!" Callie said as she gave Teddy a tight hug. "This is so exciting."

"I know!"

"Um, guys?" Arizona shifted her eyes between the two hugging women. "Want to fill me in here?"

"You are looking at the new cardiothoracic attending at Sierra Faith Hospital." Teddy said gleefully.

"Sierra Faith?" Arizona blinked dumbly. "The Sierra Faith that's like forty miles from here? That Sierra Faith?"

"That's the one." Teddy and Callie waited for what that meant to click in Arizona's head. When it started to take longer than expected, they exchanged worried glances. "Uh, Zona? You in there?"

"Wait?" Arizona's face lit up. "Are you moving here?"

"Yes, I am."

"And you knew about this?" Arizona asked Callie.

"Um..." Callie couldn't tell if she was in trouble or not. "Kind of."

"I'm sorry, Zona. I didn't want to get your hopes up." Teddy and Callie waited again for the blonde to say something. After another minute, they both thought they were in trouble for sure. Just when Callie was about to say something, Arizona jumped out of her stool and launched herself at Teddy.

"This is the best news ever! I'm so excited."

"I'm glad you're excited too. You had me worried there for a second." Teddy laughed.

"I had to make you squirm." Arizona released her hug.

"I thought you wouldn't find out for awhile." Callie said as she went back to cooking their dinner.

"Me too, but I guess my chief put in a good word for me. They practically handed me the job on a silver platter as soon as I walked in."

"That's because you're the best, Teds." Arizona didn't doubt her friend's abilities at all.

"Apparently." Teddy shrugged. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable."

"Okay, dinner won't be ready for another hour, so no hurry."

"What are you making?"

"Lasagna. The sauce needs to simmer some more and then I'll put it in the oven."

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to like living out here. My take out days are numbered."

"Calliope isn't going to be your personal chef, Teds."

"What? You don't want to share?"

"No way, she's all mine."

"I know your mama didn't raise you to be selfish."

"I'm not being selfish."

"Kids, no fighting." Callie joked. It should be interesting having Teddy around all the time. She laughed when the two women stuck their tongues out at each other. "I thought you were changing?"

"I am. Be right back." Teddy said before disappearing from the kitchen.

"Good news, right?" Callie asked Arizona. Hoping to distract her from being mad.

"Super good news." Arizona grinned.

"Girls?!" Barbara yelled. "We're back!"

"In the kitchen!" The couple said in unison again. They exchanged goofy grins.

"What smells so wonderful?" Barbara asked as she walked to the stove to sneak a peek.

"Lasagne."

"Callie, you spoil us. This is your wedding week, you should be relaxing. Not feeding us dinner every night."

"This is Calliope relaxing, Mom."

"It's true." Callie smiled at Arizona. "I really love to do it."

"Barb, if the girl wants to cook, let her cook." Daniel loved Callie's cooking and didn't want his wife to ruin it.

"Alright, alright." Barbara sat on the stool next to her daughter. "You still mad at us, baby girl?"

"Yes."

"Arizona..." Callie looked at her and shook her head.

"Fine, I'm not mad anymore."

"Good. The cake design looks amazing. That Meredith is very talented. Your father and I are going down there before the rehearsal tomorrow to bake it. Then Meredith and Lexie are going to decorate it and bring it to your parents the morning of the wedding."

"Oh, that reminds me. My mom said we need to be there at five tomorrow, so we can do the rehearsal and then they're serving us dinner."

"Who is going to be there again?" Arizona didn't understand why they had to practice. It couldn't be that hard to walk in a straight line.

"All of us, Mark, Cris, Addy, Alex, Aria is bringing Alexa, my parents, and I think that's it."

"I guess that doesn't sound so bad." Arizona sighed.

"It's not going to kill you." Callie laughed at the cute pout on the blondes lips and walked around the counter to kiss her. "I promise."

* * *

"This is killing me, Calliope." Arizona hissed in her fiancée's ear.

"This is killing me too." Callie whispered back.

"Okay, again!" Lucia clapped her hands loudly. She was met with a collective groan of protest.

"Mama, we get it. We're tired and hungry. Can we please go inside now?" Callie begged. Her mother has been making them run through the ceremony over and over for the past two hours and everyone was exhausted. It had gotten dark and cold. Lucia was really sucking the fun out of it.

"Just one more time."

"Lucia, they got it." Carlos said. "Let's go eat."

"Okay, fine." Lucia conceded. "But if it all goes wrong tomorrow, you can't blame me."

"Nothing is going to go wrong." Carlos chuckled as everyone ran into the house before his wife changed her mind, leaving the older couple outside alone.

"I just want everything to be perfect for Calliope." Lucia stepped into the embrace her husband was offering her. "I want her to be happy. She deserves it more than anyone."

"She is happy." Carlos turned so Lucia could see into the house, where the group had gathered as they waited for the hosts to come in. "Look at her."

Lucia looked up to see her youngest daughter wrapped around Arizona's back. She was whispering something in her ear that was making them both laugh quietly to themselves. They both had matching wide smiles and Lucia could see their eyes sparkling even at the distance she was at. "She is, isn't she?"

"Yes." Carlos placed a light kiss on her cheek. "We should go in. They're waiting for us. Calliope's friends get cranky when they aren't fed."

"Okay." Lucia smiled when her husband placed his hand on her lower back as he escorted her inside.

"This is much better." Arizona grinned as she finished off her dinner of spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken. The meal was well worth the two hours of torture Lucia had put them through. The conversation that flowed around the table as they ate was casual and light and she was having fun listening to their parents and friends tell stories of when the couple were younger.

"It is." Callie leaned over and kissed her fiancée on the cheek. They looked up when Carlos stood up at his spot at the head of the table.

"If I can have your attention for a quick moment please." Carlos waited for the table to quiet down before continuing. "Lucia and I just wanted to welcome everyone to our home for and to thank you for being here. As I look around the table, I see the most important people in our daughter's life and that makes you all the most important people in our lives. All her closest friends, who we thank for loving and supporting our Calliope and helping to shape her into the person she is today. Barbara and Daniel, we are pleased to welcome you into our family. We couldn't ask for better people to share this journey with. When Calliope was born, we knew right away she was very special. As she grew she proved that to us every single day. Her brilliance, talent, and thirst for life was a continuance source of joy for Lucia and myself. Life has not always been easy, but the strength of character she has shown as she navigated through is awe inspiring. Proving as an adult, she is still just as special. Lucia and I are both very proud of all the choices she has made in her life. As her father, I had hoped she'd grow up to find a partner who was just as special as her. And we have no doubt that person is Arizona. As a man who has been married for thirty five years, I think I can offer you some advice. As long as you have each other and communicate effectively, nothing else matters. Work together through your problems, not against each other. The one thing I wished someone had told me is to be prepared to fall in love with each other over and over again. I wasn't and it took me by surprise every single time it happened. I am not a man who likes to be surprised and I know Arizona isn't either. I know my quick moment is long over, so I will let you get back to your desserts now." Carlos sat back down and kissed his wife. He had only meant to thank people for coming, but got carried away.

"Thank you, Daddy." Callie got up and went to kiss her dad's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mija." He smiled as he watched her go back to her seat, stopping to kiss Arizona on the way. Callie sat down next to her fiancee and turned her head towards her mother when she heard Evangeline's name being mentioned. "Mama, what are you taking about?"

"I was just telling Barbara and Daniel how you girls used to put on little shows for us all the time. They were so cute." Lucia smiled at the memory.

"Oh yeah?" Arizona perked up. The though of Callie performing as a little girl warmed her heart. "Like what?"

"Sometimes they'd act out scenes from their favorite movies. Mostly they'd just sing songs. Well, Calliope and Evangeline would sing. Aria can't sing to save her life."

"Thanks, Mother. I appreciate that." Aria rolled her eyes.

"It is true." Callie laughed. She had to cover her ears every time her sister tried. "But she could play the piano better than anyone I know."

"Mommy plays for me sometimes." Alexa didn't understand why her mom glared at her.

"You should do a show for us!" Arizona said excitedly.

"Babe, no. We haven't done that in like..." Callie paused to do the math in her head. "Sixteen? Seventeen years?" She looked at Aria. "Is that right?"

"Sounds about right." Aria frowned. "God, that was a lifetime ago."

"Please?" Arizona gave her her best puppy dog eyes.

"Please Auntie Callie!" Alexa jumped up and rounded the table to climb in Arizona's lap. She matched the blonde's puppy eyed expression.

"Do you guys practice this in the mirror together?" Callie was having a really hard time saying no again.

"No, we're naturals." Arizona leaned over and kissed Callie on the cheek. Alexa leaned over and did the same.

"Oh my god." Callie laughed and glanced up at Aria. "What do you think?"

"I don't know..." Aria hasn't played in front of anyone other than her family since she was a kid.

"Please Mommy!" Alexa directed her attention to her mom. "It makes me really happy when you play and you haven't since Dani was born."

"Fine." Aria sighed and stood up. She motioned for Callie to follow her, so they could find some music. "We'll be right back."

"I can't believe they agreed to this. I've been trying to get them to perform together for years." Lucia said. "You have some amazing powers over her, Arizona."

"Lex helped." Arizona shrugged.

"You are all in for a treat." Carlos told the table. "Our girls are very talented. We have no idea where it all comes from."

"I've only seen Callie sing after she's had a few too many at the bar." Addison paused when she realized who was in her company. "Um... yeah, so I'm excited."

"What do you think?" Callie asked Aria when she pulled up the song she wanted to do on the computer. She waited for her sister to look it over.

"Yeah, this is perfect." Aria said and printed it out. "I can't believe we're doing this."

"Should we put on matching sparkling outfits and put ribbons in our hair?" Callie smiled at the memory of the ridiculous outfits they used to dress up in.

"I'm sure Alexa would lend us her tutus."

"I would never be caught dead in a tutu." Callie laughed. "That's all you."

"I wish I still had a tutu that fit."

"It feels really wrong doing this without Eva."

"I know." Aria smiled sadly. "We'll be great though."

"Was there any doubt?" Callie grinned. "We're amazing."

"No, none at all." Aria laughed. "Let's go before we get in trouble for taking so long."

"What's taking so long?" Arizona asked after they've been waiting for awhile. She was getting impatient. The sound of soft piano music coming from the other side of the house was her response. Everyone looked at each other to confirm that they weren't having auditory hallucinations before jumping out of their chairs and speed walking to the large sitting room that held the shiny grand piano. Cristina and Alex hung back a little. They weren't excited as everyone else, but decided to follow anyway. When everyone entered the room, they saw Aria and Callie sitting side by side on the piano bench. Alexa ran up and sat next to her mom like she always did when she was younger. Arizona sat in between her parents and Teddy while everyone else scattered around the room.

"So..." Callie glanced around the room nervously. "This is for Arizona, who, in less than twenty four hours, will be making me the happiest person alive." She smiled and locked eyes with her fiancée as Aria started playing the melody. She mouthed I love you at her before taking a deep breath. "_It's her hair and her eyes today that just simply take me away and the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way."_ Callie stood up and made her way closer to Arizona. "_All the times I have sat and stared as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair as she purses her lips, bats her eyes and she plays with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say."_ Callie reached her hand out for her fiancée and smiled as she pulled her off the couch. "_Cause I love her with all that I am and my voice shakes along with my hands cause shes all that I see and shes all that I need and I'm out of my league once again."_

"Calliope..." Arizona blushed as Callie pulled her towards the piano. She couldn't help but laugh when Callie started spinning her around in her arms.

"_It's a masterful melody when she calls out my name to me as the world spins around her she laughs, rolls her eyes and I feel like I'm falling but it's no surprise, cause I love her with all that I am and my voice shakes along with my hands. Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea, but I'd rather be here than on land yes she's all that I see and she's all that I need and I'm out of my league once again._" Ignoring their audience, Callie leaned in and kissed Arizona slowly as Aria continued to play. She pulled away and placed her hand on the blonde's face and rubbed her cheek with her thumb. "_It's her hair and her eyes today that just simply take me away and the feeling that I'm falling further in love makes me shiver, but in a good way. All the times I have sat and stared as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair. As she purses her lips, bats her eyes and she plays with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say. Cause I love her with all that I am and my voice shakes along with my hands. Cause it's frightening to be swimming in this strange sea, but I'd rather be here than on land. Yes she's all that I see and she's all that I need and I'm out of my league once again."_ As Aria finished the song on the piano, Callie kissed Arizona until the last chord was played. For a long silence, Callie and Arizona only saw each other in the room until someone clapped, popping their little bubble. They smiled shyly at each other. Arizona thought Carlos was right, she wasn't prepared to fall in love with Callie all over again like she just did. It was one surprise she didn't mind though.

"Mommy, can you teach me how to do that?" Alexa asked.

"Yeah, Lexibaby. I can." Aria smiled and hugged her daughter. "It'll be our special time."

"Mom, are you crying?" Arizona asked when she heard Barbara sniff.

"I'm sorry, that was so beautifully done." Barbara wiped her tears. "I'm just really happy for you, baby girl."

"I'm going upstairs." Cristina said, standing up. She was tired of this lovey dovey crap and she still had all day tomorrow to get through. She and Addison were being forced to stay the night here with Callie. Teddy and Arizona were spending the night too in a different part of the house, while the boys got to go home. It didn't make any sense to her.

"We should probably get going too." Daniel said. "Big day tomorrow."

"Us too, Alexa." Aria shut the lid on the piano and stood up. "Your dad is probably pulling his hair out by now."

"Can't I stay?" Alexa whined. She wasn't ready to go.

"Your dress is waiting for you at home."

"Can I put it on tonight?"

"Yes, you can put it on." Aria tried not to roll her eyes. Her daughter has been obsessed with her flower girl dress since the moment she tried it on in the store.

"Okay, I'm ready." Alexa walked out of the room without another word.

"Guess we don't get a good bye." Callie laughed and hugged her sister. "Bye, Ari. It was fun."

"Maybe we should do it more often."

"I'd like that. I'll see you tomorrow." Callie watched as she said her goodbyes to everyone else. She smiled when she saw Arizona's parents approaching her.

"Callie, this time tomorrow we'll be able to call you our daughter." Daniel said as he hugged her goodbye.

"I'm looking forward to it." Callie hugged Barbara. "Do you guys have the key to the house?"

"Yes, Arizona gave it to us and made us promise a hundred times to remember to feed Sonny breakfast in the morning."

"Okay good. I'll see you guys tomorrow then." After a round of goodbyes from everybody, only Callie, Arizona, Teddy, and Addison were left in the sitting room. Callie's parents had gone upstairs to bed with strict instructions for Teddy and Addison to not let the couple see each other past midnight, per tradition.

"Now what?" Teddy asked.

"We're boring you already, Teds?"

"No, I just have a lot of excited energy flowing through me."

"Tree house powwow?" Callie asked, looking at Addison.

"Hell yeah!" Addison jumped up and ran towards the kitchen. "I'll get the beer, you get the powwow bag."

"What?" Teddy looked at Arizona for an answer, since Callie had run upstairs. The blonde just shrugged and shook her head. She had no idea what the two friends were talking about either. Arizona couldn't keep the grin off her face when Callie came bounding down the stairs two at a time with bag on her back like an excited little kid on her first day if school. It was too cute. Addison met them at the back door with a twelve pack she stole from the fridge.

"Calliope, care to explain what's going on?"

"You'll see." Callie looped her arm with Addison's and took off across the property, leaving Arizona and Teddy no choice but to follow. By the time they were able to navigate the unfamiliar yard in the dark, Callie and Addison were already up the tree.

"I'm way to old for this shit." Teddy said when she finally got to the top of the ladder. "What the hell?" She asked when she saw Callie dump out her bag. It was full of candles, lighters, a notebook, pens, and a large ceramic plate. Addison grouped the candles in the middle of the plate and told Arizona and Teddy to join them in a circle. She took one of the lighters to light them. The small flames flickered in the light breeze blowing through the tree house.

"We're not sacrificing a kitten or something are we?" Arizona asked as she took a beer that Addison offered her.

"Really, babe?" Callie ripped out a piece of paper for each of them and handed them out with a pen.

"Don't you think this looks weird?"

"Nope." Callie and Addison started writing stuff on their piece of paper. Arizona and Teddy gave each other confused looks.

"You guys going to tell us what were supposed to be doing?"

"Write down a wish or two." Callie said without looking up.

"Oookay?" Arizona looked at Teddy again and shrugged. She wrote down two wishes and followed Callie's lead by folding it up. "Now what?"

"Now we burn them."

"Umm, right. Of course we do." Arizona laughed and reached her paper out to the candle to burn it, but was stopped by Callie's hand on her wrist.

"Wait, we all have to do it together." Callie scooted a candle closer to each of them. "Okay, now." The four of them lit the ends of their papers and set them down next to their candles. They could feel the heat of the added flames on their faces as they watched them burn.

"Congrats, Teddy." Addison said when they all went out, except for Teddy's.

"Thanks?" Teddy looked at the smiling faces of Callie and Addison. Arizona looked just as lost as she felt.

"Yours went out last, so your wish is going to come true."

"Oh..." Teddy smiled. "I hope so."

"What did you write?" Arizona asked.

"Mariposa, she can't tell us. You know that."

"Okay, then now what?"

"Now we finish our beers and talk while we wait for one of the candles to go out."

"That's it?"

"That's it." Callie smiled and took Arizona's free hand.

"I can handle that." Arizona went to move so she was closer to her fiancée, but stopped. "Am I allowed to move? I don't want to ruin Teddy's wish or anything."

"Yes, you can move." Callie rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders to pull her closer. "I love you."

"I love you too." Arizona turned her head to kiss Callie's cheek. "I can't believe were getting married tomorrow."

"We are." Callie took Arizona's lips with her own. "Mmm, you taste good." She gently pushed her fiancée until she was lying on her back and straddled her waist, before leaning down and kissing her again.

"Did she forget we're here?" Teddy asked Addison.

"I don't think she cares." Addison laughed when Callie lifted her middle finger at them, but continued to kiss the blonde. "See."

"Calliope, stop." Arizona pushed the brunette away when she started grinding down on her.

"Why?" Callie tried to kiss her again, but Arizona held strong.

"Because you're making me very horny and we've only for one more day to go, lets not ruin it now."

"TMI, Zona, TMI."

"Shut up, Teds." Arizona sat back up when Callie climbed off her.

"I'm sorry ladies." Addison said. "It's almost midnight. Your parents will kill us if we let you stay together."

"You're seriously going to make us go to bed right now?" Callie rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to go to bed. You just have to be separated."

"Come on, Zona, we'll leave. These two can stay here and do their powwow thing."

"This is the last time I'll see you before we're married." Arizona squeezed Callie's hand.

"I know. I'm okay with that." Callie smiled. "I don't want to call you my fiancée anymore anyways."

"Well, then it works out."

"Arizona, come on." Teddy pulled on her friend's hand. "Callie's mom is scary."

"Okay, okay." Arizona kissed Callie good bye. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mariposa." Callie pouted as she watched her fiancée leave with Teddy.

"Oh my god, Cal. You'll see her tomorrow."

"I know." Callie sighed. "I wanted to spend more time with her tonight though."

"You'll survive, I promise." Addison handed her friend another beer. "Now you get to spend quality time with me."

"I like the sound of that." Callie clanked her bottle against Addison's. "Cheers."

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Not at all." There was no reason to be nervous about marrying Arizona. "Are you?"

"No, I've got it under control."

"I have no doubts." Callie smiled. She and Arizona were both happy when Addison agreed to officiate their wedding.

"You're drunk." Addison laughed as Callie fell to her side. It was now almost one thirty and they had finished the entire case of beer between the two of them as they reminisced about their crazy teenaged years. "Arizona is going to kill me."

"Not she won't, but Mama will." Callie rolled onto her back. "God, I'm horny."

"Cal, I don't want to know that."

"Have you seen how hot she is? Try sleeping in the same bed with her and only having sex with one time in a whole month."

"If I remember correctly, that was your idea."

"Why didn't you talk me out of it?"

"It's none of my business."

"When's the last time you've had sex?"

"Callie!" Addison laughed again. Callie had no filter when she was drunk.

"What? I'm just curious."

"I'm only going to tell you this, because I'm hoping you won't remember tomorrow."

"I'm not that drunk, but whatever." Callie turned on her side to look at her friend. Addison looked almost embarrassed. "Oh my god, what did you do?"

"It's not the what, it's the who." Addison sighed. "I was horny and he was there."

"Who, who?!" Callie sat up and grinned at the red head. "Wait, I want to guess. Do I know him?"

"Unfortunately..." Addison blushed.

"How well?"

"Pretty well."

"Wait, the only guys I know well are Mark, who is engaged, Owen, who would never cheat on Cristina, George and Joe, who are off the table, and... oh my god!" Callie threw herself onto her back and started laughing hysterically. "Addy! You didn't!"

"I did." Addison slapped the laughing brunette on the arm. "It's not that funny!"

"Karev! Addy! You had sex with Karev!" Callie clutched her stomach. After a lot of beer and a late night, that was the funniest thing shes ever heard.

"Shhh! The whole house doesn't need to know." Addison slapped her again. "This is why I didn't tell you."

"I'm sorry." Callie took a few deep breaths to get herself under control. "When?"

"The night of your bachelorette party..." Addison laughed at the dumbfounded look on Callie's face.

"Was it at least good?"

"Oh yeah. That's why it happened again the other night."

"Addison!" Callie scrunched up her face. "I don't want to know anymore."

"Them stop asking." Addison laughed.

"Hey, when are you bitches coming to bed?" Cristina popped her head through the tree house opening and looked around. She's never been out here before and had to admit it looked pretty cool.

"I'm not tired yet."

"Me either."

"Good, because I brought you a present." Cristina lifted up the bottle of tequila she had brought with her. It was always good to have one in case of emergencies. She climbed the rest of the way into the structure and sat down next to Callie. She opened the bottle and passed it to Addison. "I heard you bumped uglies with Baker Boy, I think you need this most."

"Where on earth did you hear that from?" Addison took a sola be passed it to Callie.

"I heard loud mouth here yelling it as I was walking across the yard."

"Thanks a lot, Cal." Addison rolled her eyes. Now everyone was going to know.

"Sorry." Callie shrugged and passed the bottle back to Cristina. "I wonder what Arizona's doing."

"Eating ice cream and watching chick flicks." Cristina said. "At least she was. I think they're asleep now."

"How do you know that?"

"I heard her and Teddy fighting about it over an hour ago, but it was really quiet when I left."

"We should probably go to bed too." Callie frowned. She was having fun.

"Why? The wedding isn't until five. Your mom gave me a schedule. You don't have to be coherent until three when the dude comes to do our hair and make up."

"That's true." Callie smiled and took another small sip of the tequila. She didn't want to overdo it. "I love you guys."

"We love you too." Addison nudged Cristina. "Right, Yang?"

"I'm putting on a dress and make up tomorrow, if that doesn't prove anything, then I don't knew what will."

"Aw, you do love me Cris." Callie grinned. She'd tried to hug her friend if she didn't think she'd bite her.

"Yeah, yeah." Cristina rolled her eyes and took another shot. Another hour later and the three women were trying to climb back down the ladder without hurting themselves. No one wanted to explain to Arizona why her fiancée was in the hospital the day of their wedding. They made it down, across the yard, and upstairs in one piece.

"Shhh don't wake up my parents!" Callie yelled as they made their way down the hallway.

"No one said anything!" Addison yelled back.

"Why are we yelling!?" Cristina ran into the back of Callie when the brunette stopped short in front of her. She peeked around the taller woman and laughed when she saw Lucia standing in the hallway in her nightgown with her hands firmly on her hips. "Oh, shit. Torres, you in trouble."

"Calliope, this reminds me of that time I caught you, Addison, and Marcus sneaking in high as kites when you were sixteen. I would like to think you've moved passed that by now."

"We were never high!" Callie tried to hold in her laughter when Addison snorted next to her. "And we're not high now, just a little bit inebriated, which is perfectly fine."

"Calliope..." Lucia said as sternly as she could. She was having a hard time not smiling as she gave them her famous mama look. The scared looks the three women were giving her back were priceless.

"I'm sorry, Mama." Callie hung her head in shame. It didn't matter how old she was, being busted by her mother was still embarrassing.

"Go to bed, girls. Big day ahead of us."

"Yes, Mama." The three women said in unison, avoiding the older woman's eye contact. Lucia turned around and chuckled quietly to herself as she went back to her room.

"What was going on out there?" Carlos asked when he felt his wife come back to bed.

"Calliope and her friends ha a little too much fun in that old tree house of hers."

"Did you give them your look?"

"Yes, I did. You should have seen their faces." Lucia laughed.

"You're bad." Carlos chuckled along with his wife.

"I know."

"Dude, you're mom is scary as hell." Cristina said when they were safely locked in Callie's old room. "How did you survive?"

"I never got caught." Callie pulled off her shirt to change into pajamas, but plopped down on the bed in her bra before finding a new shirt. Addison and Cristina fell down onto the bed next to her. "Have I mentioned I'm horny?"

"Oh god." Addison laughed. "Maybe you should go find Arizona before you hump one of us in your sleep."

"Really?" Callie sat up. "You'd let me go?"

"If you get caught, I'll deny knowing anything."

"Thanks Addy!" Callie jumped off the bed and grabbed something out of her bag before leaving her room. She stopped outside the room Arizona and Teddy were staying in and slowly opened the door. Light from the hallway illuminated the two sleeping blondes on the bed. She went to the side Teddy was on and shook her awake.

"Callie?" Teddy sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"You might want to leave for this." Callie whispered, holding up a blindfold. "I'm going to do this whether you're here or not."

"You're kidding." Teddy blinked when she realized Callie was only in her jeans and bra. Her eyes went wide when she saw what the brunette was holding in her other hand. "You're definitely not kidding."

"Nope." Callie sent her items down on the nightstand and started to unbutton her jeans. "Well?"

"I'm going. Hold your horses." Teddy rolled her eyes and threw the covers off of herself. She spend up her movements when she realized Callie had removed her own pants completely. "I'm telling your mother you drugged me if you two get caught."

"Bye, Teds." Callie winked. She pushed her friend out of the door and locked it. Teddy sleepily made we way down the hall to Callie's room. She found Addison and Cristina right here Callie had left them on the bed.

"They're having dirty sex." Teddy said when the two woman lifted the heads and looked at her questionably.

"We know." Addison scooted over closer to Cristina and patted the empty space next to her. "Guess you're bunking with us tonight."

Callie smirked down at her sleeping fiancée. The blonde was splayed out on the bed on her back, making it very easy for Callie to do what she needed to do before waking her. Callie lightly ran her hands over Arizona's body, before carefully placing the blindfold over her closed eyes. The blonde didn't even stir until Callie flicked her earlobe with her tongue, before biting down on it roughly. When the brunette realized the other woman was waking up, she backed off and watched with a wicked grin as she watched the blonde slowly came into consciousness. When Arizona opened her eyes, she could tell something was covering them. She tried to use her hands to remove whatever it was, but she found they were tied to the headboard above her head. She struggled against them until she felt a familiar calming hand rest on her thigh. That's when she knew Callie was up to something and she was going to play along to see what it was. Arizona knew that when Callie got like this, it was best not to speak or struggle, because that only delayed whatever immense pleasure the blonde would undoubtedly be receiving in the end. The silence in the room grew louder and her heart rate sped up faster the longer she waited for something to happen. She could fell Callie's eyes watching her. The thought of her fiancee hungrily raking her eyes over her body made Arizona lick her dry lips. She could feel her nipples harden and her clit throbbed almost painfully. She squirmed to try to get it to settle down. It was amazing how wet and worked up the brunette could make her without even touching her or saying a single word. She inhaled sharply when she felt a hot wet mouth surround one of her erect nipples. That's when she realized she was completely naked. When did that happen? She struggled against the restraints again, wanting to pull her fiancée up to her mouth for a kiss or push her head down to make her suck harder. "Stop." Callie said harshly and loudly enough to make Arizona jump.

"Callie... Please." Arizona broke the number one unspoken rule of their game. Don't speak or suffer the consequences. She couldn't feel the brunette's presence close to her anymore and tried to hold in a whine as she kicked her unrestrained legs around. After a minute she stopped kicking and waited. She strained her ears to hear something. Anything. All she could hear was the thumping of her own heart beating against her chest. She jerked her body when something cold was placed on her chest between her breasts.

"I hope you don't mine, but I brought Frederick to join us tonight." Callie whispered close to Arizona's ear, making the blonde jump in surprise again. Now Arizona knew exactly what was laying on her chest. She gulped and shook her head to show she didn't mind. The added weight on her chest disappeared a second later. "Good, I wouldn't want to have to leave you out." Arizona bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep herself from saying anything or making any noise. She felt Callie kneel down at the bed near her feet and instantly spread her legs in anticipation. She pouted when the brunette forcefully closed them. "Never assume, mi amor. Never assume." Arizona scrunched her brows in confusion. Then she felt Callie putting the harness on on her, instead of herself and instantly understood. "You're awfully quiet, tonight."

"You've trained me well." Arizona bit her lip again. She shouldn't have said that.

"Tsk, tsk. Just when I was about to reward you, you had to go and ruin it." Callie backed off again. The sight of her fiancée laying out on the bed with their favorite green strap on sticking up proudly from her middle made the brunette even more wet. She wasn't sure if she was torturing herself or the blonde more at this point. She waited another minute for Arizona to move or make a sound. When she didn't she grinned and stepped forward. She bent down and shoved her tongue in the blonde's hot mouth. Arizona moaned at the feeling of her mouth being suddenly invaded. Callie tasted and smelled like tequila, which explained a lot. Not that the blonde was complaining. The brunette continued to kiss her roughly, before backing off completely again, causing Arizona to growl. She hoped she didn't get in trouble for it. "I'm so wet for you, Arizona." Callie whispered in her ear. "Do you want to feel how wet I am?" Arizona didn't say anything. She was too afraid it was a trick. "I asked you a question. You can answer me."

"Y-yes." Arizona stuttered out. Callie was very close to making her lose it.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I want to feel how wet you are." Arizona moaned in pleasure when Callie stuck her fingers covered in her own juices in her mouth. The blonde eagerly sucked them clean.

"Good?" Callie smirked as she pulled her fingers out of the blonde's mouth.

"You taste wonderful." Arizona licked her lips to clean whatever she missed and smiled in satisfaction. "More?"

"No." Callie had to get off her feet and soon. The feeling of her fiancées mouth sucking on her fingers made it very hard for her to keep standing. She climbed onto the bed and straddled the blonde's stomach. She could feel the dildo poking her in her ass. Arizona could feel Callie's wetness on her stomach. She struggled against the soft restraints. She wanted to be touching the naked woman on top of her more than anything right now. She stopped struggling when she felt Callie shift on top of her. The brunette couldn't wait anymore and positioned herself a little lower. She sucked on one of Arizona's hard nipple as she used one hand to steady herself against the bed and the other to rub the tip of the dildo along her dripping center. She moaned at the delicious feeling. The feeling of Callie moaning against her nipple made Arizona involuntarily buck her hips upwards. The brunette sat up and maneuvered herself so she could slowly lower herself onto the smooth shaft. It slid in easily and she moaned at the feeling of it filling her. Arizona started struggling again. She couldn't believe Callie was really going to do this without letting her see it. She felt Callie lift herself up and push down again, before leaning down and attaching her lips to Arizona's. She let the dildo rest inside of her as she explored the blonde's mouth with her tongue. She could feel Arizona's hips start to move and sat straight up. She lifted herself up and down up an down before realizing her fiancée stopped her movements. "You going to help me out here? Or do I have to do all the work?"

"I want to see you and touch you."

"Not yet."

"Then I'm not helping." Arizona felt Callie start to ride her again. The moans of pleasure spilling from the lips the couldn't see made her struggle harder against the restraints. This was the worst kind of torture she could imagine in this moment. All of a sudden Callie stopped and laid herself flat on top of Arizona.

"If I let you go," Callie whispered, "do you promise to fuck me like you never have before?" Callie smirked when she heard the blonde's breath hitch. "Because I really, really need it right now."

"I promise." Arizona nodded her head. As soon as she felt that her wrists were freed from the restraints, she pushed the blindfold off her face and had Callie flipped onto her back within two seconds.

"Woah." Callie grinned. She had no idea what just happened, but she didn't care. Arizona was already gripping her hip tightly with one hand as she steadied herself with her other. She was pumping into her as hard and fast as she could, which felt amazing to the brunette. She was glad her wedding dress covered her hips, because there were definitely going to be bruises from the blonde's tight hold. Callie reached above her and gripped the headboard as Arizona continued her movements. She started moving her hips to match the blonde's rhythms.

"How's this?" Arizona panted. They really needed to practice this more to build up her stamina. She could feel the sweat starting to move down her back and face. She grinned as she watched Callie's boobs bounce in front of her.

"Good. Really good." Callie grabbed a pillow and covered her face. She was having a hard time keeping quiet and she needed to in a house full of her parents and friends. She bit down on it when the blonde thrust into her harder. Seems as if Arizona was taking her promise very seriously. She could feel her orgasm building rapidly, but didn't want it to come yet. What her fiancée was doing felt way too good. When Arizona swiped her thumb once across her clit, she couldn't hold it in anymore and moaned loudly into the pillow as her climax took over every single nerve in her body. Arizona slowed down her thrusts until she came to a stop. The brunette writhing and moaning below her made her stare in awe. After a minute, Callie removed the pillow from her face and stared up at the blonde. "Jesus Christ, Arizona. How am I supposed to walk straight down the aisle?"

"You told me to!" Arizona laughed and pulled out of her fiancée. She laid down next to her and hugged her tightly. "Couldn't wait until tonight?"

"Nope." Callie tried to hug her back, but none of her muscles were exactly working yet.

"I'm kind of scared to ask, but what possessed you to bring Frederick to your parents house?" Arizona smiled when Callie release a low sexy chuckle.

"You never know when you'll need an old friend."

"True..." Arizona sat up and poked Callie's side. "So, you going to help me out or am I on my own?" She yelped when the brunette suddenly sat up and rolled her onto her back.

"Please, let me."

* * *

Callie woke up to the feeling of eyes watching her. She frowned when she saw that Arizona was still sound asleep in her arms, so it wasn't her eyes. Callie lifted her head to find Addison and Teddy standing over their bed with their arms crossed and marching annoyed expressions. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked when she was sure she and Arizona were covered up.

"About a minute." Teddy said. "You should probably go back to your room before your mom notices you're missing. She's downstairs making breakfast and Zona, your parents will be here any minute to take us to breakfast."

"Can you maybe leave? Or would you like to see me naked?"

"I'll kill them if they do." Arizona said sleepily. She turned to face her audience. "You two are being creepy."

"No, we're trying to save your asses." Addison raised her eyebrow. "If we leave, will you get up? Because we will stay and babysit you if we have to."

"I'll get up." Callie really didn't want her mom catching them either. She slowly sat up, making sure to keep her chest covered. She hoped the ache between her legs went away before tonight or she's going to have to come up with a good story to explain why she's walking funny. Though the truth was a pretty great story. "At least turn around." When they turned around, she carefully got out of bed. She found some clothes in Arizona's suitcase and put them on. She gave the blonde one last kiss and a wink before being escorted away by Addison.

"You guys were so close." Teddy said laying down in the spot Callie had just vacated.

"You know I'm still naked and that we just had sex in the spot, right?" Arizona laughed when Teddy threw herself off the bed and onto the floor. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm traumatized." Teddy covered her face with the pillow she found next to her.

"I'm sorry." Arizona laughed again. She decided against telling her friend that was the pillow Callie had used to muffle her orgasm.

"Will you get up? Your dad has a strict schedule we're supposed to be following today."

"Don't wanna." Arizona rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. "More sleep."

"Come on, Zona. Don't be difficult."

"It's my wedding, I can do what I want."

"Please remind me never to be your maid of honor again."

"I'll never need another one." Arizona sighed and got up. The last thing she needed was for her father to come bursting in here. "Your eyes are still covered right?"

"Yes."

"Zona!" Daniel pounded on the door. "We're behind already!"

"And so it begins."

* * *

"Are you sure this is how you want your hair, Calliope?" Lucia asked as she watched the stylist put her daughter's hair up in an intricate up do.

"For the millionth time, yes." Callie rolled her eyes. It's been a long day and there was still an hour and a half until the wedding. "Arizona likes it up."

"But it's so long and beautiful. Maybe you should wear it down?"

"We tried that and I liked this better." Callie flinched when the stylist pulled her hair a little too hard. She smiled when the photographer wanted to take her picture, the bright flash making her see spots.

"Okay, it's your wedding."

"You're right, it is."

"How you feeling?" Addison asked. She had just finished getting her hair done by another stylist.

"I'm just ready to have all this over with and party."

"Still not nervous?"

"No. Excited." Callie turned her head towards her friend, but the hairdresser yanked it roughly back. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry, but you need to sit still."

"Where's Cristina?" Callie asked the room.

"They're finishing up her hair in the other room, I think." Addison said. "I'll go look."

"Auntie Callie!" Alexa came running in the room as Addison was leaving. "You look pretty!"

"So do you, Lex." Callie smiled. It looked like her niece had already got her hair done. It was swept up to match her own.

"My mommy won't let me put on my dress yet."

"Neither will mine." Calle faked a pout.

"Alexa, if you mess up your hair, you're in a lot of trouble." Aria said as she entered the room. "That poor woman had to start over twice and it took forever." She looked at Callie and smiled. "Looking good, Callie."

"Really?" Callie hasn't been able to look in the mirror yet.

"Really. Arizona will love it."

* * *

"Zona, I swear. You're worse now than on picture day in elementary school." Barbara said as she tried to get her daughter to sit down so the hair dresser could do her hair. She didn't understand why Arizona was being so difficult.

"There is still plenty of time left. Why do we have to do it now?"

"Because I said so." Barbara pushed Arizona towards the chair. "Now sit."

"Butterfly, listen to your mother." Daniel said sternly. "If you don't do it now, then you'll be late for make up, then you'll be late getting dressed, and then you'll be late for your own wedding. Do you think Callie will be happy about that?"

"No." Arizona mumbled. Callie would definitely kill her if she delayed the wedding for such a stupid reason.

"What? Speak up, honey."

"I said no." Arizona said a little louder. She sat back in the chair and let the stylist do whatever he needed to do. She scowled when the photographer tried to take her picture. This was already bad enough, she didn't need to have pictures of it.

"I have no idea why Callie wants to marry such a brat." Daniel joked.

"It's because I'm cute." Arizona grinned. "And great in bed."

"Ah, what every father loves to hear." Daniel chuckled when Arizona stuck her tongue out at him. Even though she's a grown woman about to be married, she will always be his little girl.

"Hey do you think these people will come to my house every day to do my hair and make up?" Teddy asked as she came in the room. "I could definitely get used to this.

"You are a fancy attending now. I'm sure you can afford it." Arizona looked up at her friend. "You clean up pretty nice, Teds."

"I know, right?" Teddy laughed. "You're not looking so bad yourself."

"Do you think Callie will like it?"

"She'll love it."

* * *

"Calliope, you're shaking." Carlos rested a hand on his daughter's arm to try and get her to relax.

"I am?" Callie shifted her gaze from a twirling Alexa to her father's smiling eyes. They were waiting for the guests to finish being seated and for Mark to come back from escorting her mother to her seat. She had been running through everything in her head. She didn't want to fall or forget her vows. She opted to not read them. She wanted to do it from her heart and to be looking at Arizona's beautiful face as she talked, not an ugly piece of paper. Now she was regretting that decision.

"Auntie Callie, don't be nervous." Alexa took her aunt's hand. "I'm not."

"I'm not nervous, Lex." Callie smiled down at the little girl, who wasn't so little anymore. She just had another birthday and was now eight years old. She was growing up so fast, having inherited the Torres height. "Did I tell you that you look very pretty in your dress?"

"Yes." Alexa giggled and spun around in her dress again. She had picked out a white chiffon high wasted empire style dress with capped sleeves and a shirred skirt. It had a burgundy sash for a splash of color to match the wedding accents. "So do you."

"Thank you." Callie smiled. "Daddy, you're not going to let me fall, are you?"

"Of course not, Mija."

"Ready, Cal?" Mark asked when he came back. "Everyone's seated, Addy's standing up front waiting, and Alex and Cristina are about to walk down the aisle."

"So, so ready." Callie grinned.

"Okay good, I have to go get Teddy." Mark went to hug Callie. "You look beautiful, Cal-Cals. See you on the other side."

* * *

"Teds, I think I'm going to vomit." Arizona clutched her stomach and bent over, something that wasn't easy in her tight fitting dress. "I think this dress is trying to kill me."

"Zona, you're fine." Teddy rolled her eyes. "You look amazing and you're about to marry the woman of your dreams in like five minutes. I'm not seeing a problem here."

"There are so many people out there."

"Since when did you get nervous around a crowd?"

"Since a large majority of them are Callie's crazy family." Arizona stood up straight and looked at her Dad. "Ready for this old man?"

"What? Finally giving you away for good? I've been ready since your surly teenaged years." Daniel grinned.

"Hey!" Arizona laughed. "I was an angel."

"Whatever you say."

"Teddy, you ready?" Mark asked when he stuck his head in the room. "It's our turn next."

"I'm ready." Teddy stood up and moved toward the door.

"Have you seen Calliope?" Arizona asked Mark.

"I have." Mark grinned. "She's stunning and I hope your dad will be able to hold you up when you see her."

"I think I can manage." Daniel took his daughter's arm and led them out of the room behind Teddy and Mark. Once they were down the aisle, Alexa would go, then Arizona and her dad, then Alexa would go again in front of Callie and her father. Arizona could hear the sound of soft music playing as she watched Mark and Teddy walk. She had requested they not do the traditional wedding march and she and Callie had agreed to walk down the aisle to a shortened version of Every Morning by Kev'Mo', since Callie enjoyed singing it to the blonde on occasion. Alexa appeared out of nowhere and was now standing directly in front of the blonde with a huge smile on her face.

"Aunt Zona, you look as pretty as Aunt Callie."

"Thank you baby girl." Arizona grinned. No one could look as pretty as her fiancée, but it was still a nice compliment. "You look beautiful too."

"Thank you." Alexa spun around at her cue. She smiled at everyone as she slowly made her way down the aisle with her basket of flower petals. Arizona waited with her father as Alexa worked the crowd like a pro. The little girl was obviously loving all the attention. The blonde could see her friends waiting for her at the arch Carlos had customed built for their wedding. She was glad she got to go first, because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make her legs work if Callie was down there staring at her too. When Alexa got to the end, the music changed tempos, signaling one of the brides was coming. Arizona's heart skipped a beat and her eyes went wide when everyone stood up and turned to look at her. She clung onto her dad's arm.

"Come on, Butterfly, let's get you married." Daniel tugged on his daughter's arm to try and get her to move, but she didn't budge. "Zona, the longer you stand here, the longer you have to wait to see Callie." He chuckled when Arizona immediately started walking, practically dragging him along.

Arizona smiled at her family and friends as she made her way down the aisle. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Never in a million years did she think she'd be clutching onto a bouquet of flowers for dear life as she walked through a beautifully decorated scene set against a backdrop of gorgeous mountain views and clear blue skies as far as the eye could see. She locked eyes with Addison when she got to the end and smiled. The red head broke eye contact and looked past Arizona. Judging by the small gasps from the crowd, and the grin on Addison's face, Arizona knew Callie had come into view. She desperately wanted to turn around, but had to wait for Addison's go ahead.

"Daddy, she looks amazing." Callie said when she saw part of Arizona. As practiced, Daniel was blocking the blonde from behind, so Callie wouldn't be able to see her yet.

"Mija, you can't even see her." Carlos smiled at the large grin on his daughter's face.

"I can see enough to know she's the most beautiful woman in the world." Callie looked around. They were waiting for her niece to sneak back towards them so they could take their turn down the aisle. "Where's Alexa?"

"Right here, Auntie Callie."

"Okay, hurry and go." Callie nudged the little girl with her bouquet of white calla lilies. "I can't wait anymore to see Arizona."

"Calliope, Arizona isn't going to go anywhere." Carlos chuckled. He had a feeling he was going to have to keep his daughter from running down the aisle.

"Daddy, shhh." Callie gripped her father's arm. "I never thought we'd be doing this together."

"But we are and I'm very proud to be here with you."

"Thank you." Callie smiled and looked towards Addison, who had just given the signal for Arizona to turn around. The brunette watched as Daniel stepped aside, revealing the back of Arizona's dress. The lacy keyhole open back design framed the blonde's tattoo perfectly. It hugged her hips nicely before flowing down and covering the ground in a circle around her. Her hair was pulled up in a loose French braid. Callie felt tears come to her eyes. She was so proud of Arizona for being able to stand in front of all their friends and family in broad daylight with her back exposed in this way. "Why isn't she turning around?"

Arizona saw Addison's signal and felt her dad step away from her, but she couldn't bring herself to turn around. So many strong emotions were suddenly flowing through her body. She was beyond happy, but she was also missing her brother. He should be standing up here with her. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to control them when she saw Callie. Her fiancée had a funny way of making her feel things. She didn't want all these people to see her cry. She looked up from the spot on the ground she had been staring at when she felt a hand on her arm. "You're not going to want to miss this." Teddy smiled and moved her finger in a circle to try and get her best friend to turn around and face her future. Arizona smiled to say thanks. Teddy was right, she'd never forgive herself if she missed Callie walking down the aisle. She took a deep breath and turned her upper body slowly to face her fiancée. All she could do was stare in awe with her mouth hanging open when she saw the beauty with the stunning smile walking towards her. Arizona knew she had to be dreaming.

Callie was about halfway down the aisle when she saw Teddy reach out and touch Arizona's arms. It was as of the blonde had to be snapped out of something. Finally, her fiancée turned to face her. Callie forgot to breath when they locked eyes for a second. She ran her eyes down the blonde's dress. The intricate lace from the back continued on to the front. Callie wondered if it was custom made for her, because it fit Arizona's body and tastes perfectly. The capped sleeves showed off the blonde's drool worthy muscular arms from years of kneading large quantities of fondant and dough. The crystals in the beading around the empire waist sparkled along with Arizona's shining blue eyes. "Calliope, breath." Carlos whispered.

"Oh, yeah, right." Callie let how the breath she had been holding in and grinned impossibly wider when her father stopped her in front of Arizona. Everything disappeared around them as they stared at each other. Some words were exchanged between their father's and Addison, by they had no idea what. Their bouquets disappeared from the hands, but they had no idea how. Someone tried to push them forward, but they had no idea who or why. After a minute, Callie took a step closer to her bride, took her hands with her own, and kissed the back of each one. "Hi." She whispered.

"Hi." Arizona laughed and whispered back. "How are you?"

"I've never been better. You?"

"Same."

"You look amazing." Callie couldn't think of a better word that described how she thought Arizona looked. "You made me forget to breath back there."

"So do you, Calliope. I'm surprised your mom let you get this." The strapless dress did nothing to hide any of Callie's tattoos. It clung to every curve the brunette possessed and the low cut V shaped beaded neckline and bodice lifted the brunette's chest tastefully. Arizona knew all their wedding photos would probably be of her staring at Callie's chest. The dress poofed out at her knees in a style Arizona remembered being called mermaid. She only remembered that because it made her laugh. Callie's hair was pulled up of her neck and out of her face. Her make up was surprisingly natural and low key. The blonde was sure she did that for her. She actually preferred Callie without make up. Arizona was having a really hard time not reaching out and touching the other woman to make sure she was for real.

"She didn't even say one word." Callie had also been surprised when her mother didn't make any snarky comments about tattoos at her wedding in front of their family. She was sure ninety eight percent of them had no idea they even existed until now.

"Well, I'm glad, because you wouldn't be you without them." Arizona loved that Callie's tattoos told a story and the world needed to see that story.

"Excuse me." Addison whispered as she stuck her head between them. "You two want to stand there and chat all night or do you want to get married? Because people are waiting."

Arizona and Callie looked around them and blushed when they saw all the expectant pairs of eyes watching them. They were so lost in each other they forgot why they were there in the first place. "Sorry, Addy."

"It's okay, I get it." Addison cleared her throat and directed her attention to the crowd. "Good evening, friends and family! We are all here today to celebrate, encourage, and support the love and marriage of Calliope Torres and Arizona Robbins. We have the privilege of being among these two special women's close circle of friends and family and we are lucky enough to be able to witness their two hearts becoming one tonight. Before we get started, their niece, Alexa, has requested to do a reading." Arizona and Callie exchanged confused glances as Alexa made her way to a microphone that was set up off to the side of the arch. This wasn't part of what they practiced. The little girl stepped onto a podium and smiled at her aunts, before reciting her memorized passage from one of her favorite books her aunt used to read her.

"_'What is REAL?' asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. 'Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?'_

_'Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real.'_

_'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit._

_'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'_

_'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'_

_'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.' _From The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams." Alexa jumped of the podium and ran back to her self designated spot between Mark and Cristina. She high fived Mark and gave Addison a thumbs up, making the adults laugh. Callie and Arizona smiled and shook their heads in amusement. Alexa continued to surprise them every day.

"The first thing Callie and Arizona asked of me was to take a moment to honor two very important people in their lives who couldn't be here with them tonight." Addison continued. "We know that Evangeline Torres and Timothy Robbins are together in heaven right now smiling down upon us as we celebrate their sisters' love. Please focus your attention on the beautiful mountain views behind me as we take a moment of silence to remember those we have lost."

Callie squeezed Arizona's hands and turned her attention towards the mountains. She couldn't focus on them for very long, the view of the woman's hands she was holding was much more breathtaking. Arizona gave Callie a small smile when she noticed her staring at her, before looking back towards the mountains and closing her eyes when a light breeze kicked up around them. Even though her brother wasn't there physically, she knew he was there in spirit.

"Thank you." Addison turned back towards the couple, who were staring at her impatiently. She had a hard time not rolling her eyes at them. "Callie and Arizona didn't want a long ceremony, preferring to get to the 'good part' as soon as possible. I've never been good with my own words, so I'm borrowing some from Robert Fulghum. '_You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks — all those sentences that began with 'When we're married' and continued with 'I will' and 'you will' and 'we will' — those late night talks that included 'someday' and 'somehow' and 'maybe'— and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, 'You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed— well, I meant it all, every word.' Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another— acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last couple of years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this is my wife.'_" Addison grinned at the two brides. They were completely lost in each other again. She wondered if they were even still listening to her. "Now we've come to the point in the ceremony where you two will exchange your vows. Arizona?"

"Okay..." Arizona drew in a nervous breath. At Callie's reassuring smile she began, "Calliope, how could I have known that when I approached the hungover stranger, making fun of my bakery that day that I would be standing here with her almost two years later making her my wife? I'm not going to lie, your amazing eyes, stunning smile, and perfect body is what got my attention first. But your beautiful soul, big heart, brilliant mind, and unconditional compassion for animals and myself is what made me fall in love with you. What I admire most about you is that you are not afraid to be yourself, no matter what you have been through. I tried for the past couple of years to find words to describe how you make me feel. They just don't exist, that's how I know what we have is special and unique. So, I made up my own word. You make me feel amahapcourafortuationtic." Arizona grinned. She was proud of herself for not messing that up. "And I promise to spend the rest of my life making you feel the same way. I don't know how I went so long not having you in my life, because I can't imagine it without you now. I can't imagine not having you there in our bed every morning, softly snoring, and looking adorable as I get ready for work. It's the best way possible I can think of to start my day. Or not being able to kiss you goodnight and fall asleep in your arms. That's the best way to end my day. And then there's every single thing in between the waking up and going to sleep. I just can't imagine doing it all with anyone but you and I don't want to. That's why I'm standing up here in front of all our loved ones, promising my love and devotion to you. I could say today is the happiest day of my life, but that's not true. Every day with you is the happiest day of my life. Even the ones where we fight over something stupid like not letting me have a second bowl of ice cream or how much I tend to exaggerate my awesome stories or how you still won't stop throwing stuff at the tv. I love all of it. You are my best friend and soul mate and I can't wait to continue this journey with you." Arizona reached up and wiped a tear from Callie's cheek. ""I, Arizona Robbins, choose you, Calliope Torres, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward til death do us part and beyond."

"Callie?" Addison turned towards her friend. "Your turn." The brunette opened and closed her mouth a few times. At Arizona's gentle caress down her arm, she finally remembered her words.

"Mariposa, there are so many things I wanted to stand up here and promise you. Love, commitment, honor, faithfulness, honesty, the world, all of it. We could be here all night and it still wouldn't be enough time to tell you everything I want to give you. Above all, though, I want to promise you happiness. The kind of happiness you feel when everything is just right. When your mind is free of all things bad, because I will always be there to turn the bad into good. I promise you to do everything in my power to make sure you aren't sad or hurt anymore and when those rare moments come when that is impossible, I will always be there to kiss away your tears. I promise you'll never have to worry again. Not about money, people, work, or anything else. All you have to do is love, be loved, and follow your passions. Everything else will fall into place. I will make sure you fall asleep every night filled with nothing but happiness, because you are making me the happiest woman alive by becoming my wife today and I will spend the rest of our lives returning the favor. For a long time I didn't like myself very much, but now I love who I am when I am with you and I love you for showing me how to again. I wanted to give you my heart tonight and pledge to you my love and devotion, but you already stole that away the day I met you. 'I love you' doesn't seem like enough to describe how I feel about you, but I know you know how I feel. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at me. So..." Callie's face was starting to hurt from smiling so much. "I, Calliope Torres, choose you, Arizona Robbins, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward til death do us part and beyond."

"Arizona?" Addison turned towards the blonde. "Do you accept?"

"I do." Arizona squeezed Callie's hands and grinned. They haven't let each other go the whole time they've been up there.

"Callie? Do-"

"I do too." Callie interrupted with a grin. She was beyond ready for the kissing part.

"Rings?" Addison glanced between Mark and Teddy and held out her hand. When they placed them in her palm she held them out to the audience. "These rings symbolize a unity, a circle unbroken, without a beginning or end. Callie and Arizona will give and receive these rings as confirmations of their vows to join their lives together, to work at all times to create a life that is whole and unbroken, and to love each other without end." Addison held them out to the two women. Callie picked Arizona's up as took the blonde's left hand.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment and love to you forever and to show the world that you are mine." Callie slipped the ring easily onto Arizona's ring finger. The blonde took the other ring from Addison and held up Callie's left hand.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my commitment and love to you forever and to show the world that you are mine." Arizona grinned as she put Callie's ring on. The two brides gave Addison matching impatient expressions.

"Hold your horses." Addison laughed. She was glad they decided to keep this short, she wasn't sure how long they'd be able to stay off each other. "'_Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth._' An Apache blessing." Addison paused to make the women squirm some more. "With that being said, by the power vested in me by the Internet and the state of California, I pronounce you wife and wife." Addison paused again. The glare she received from Callie scared her a little. "You may now kiss your bride." She said quickly.

Callie reached her hands up and used them to bring Arizona's face closer to hers. She looked into her eyes and paused for a second to admire how extraordinarily blue they seemed in this moment. It was like they were reflecting the darkening sky. Arizona, her wife now, has never looked more beautiful to Callie. Not wanting to wait a millisecond longer, Callie pressed her own lips against her wife's sweet and warm ones. She never understood how she could taste so good all of the time. They hummed against each other as they both decided to deepen their at the same time, forgetting about their audience once again. They had both expected their first kiss as wife and wife to be the same as all their others, but they were wrong. It sent shockwaves through both their bodies as they fell into a practiced rhythm and moved their arms to hug each other closely. Arizona ran her hands over the smooth material of the brunette's dress and curve's of her body, while Callie grazed her fingers across her wife's bare and flawless back. It seemed like it was going to take an act of God to end it. Their friends and family continued to clap and cheer for them, not that they noticed.

"Should we throw water on them?" Mark whispered to Cristina, making Alexa giggle between them.

"I don't know, but this is getting uncomfortable." Cristina looked at Addison who looked like she was thinking about stepping in. When they locked eyes, Cristina nodded.

"Callie." Addison whispered as she subtly poked her friend in the arm. Callie swatted her away with her hand and continued to kiss her new wife. "Callie!"

"What?" Callie tore her lips away for only a second, before replacing them right where she knew they belonged.

"I don't think you want your parents seeing this."

"They've seen worse." Callie said against Arizona's lips. Though that statement could be argued the longer they kissed.

"What about your Aunt Francine?" Addison smirked when Callie pulled away and froze. She had her there. Addison could tell they needed to get out of there and soon. "Family and friends, I have the great pleasure in presenting to you, for the first time, Mrs. and Mrs. Robbins-Torres." Addison grabbed their joined hands and raised them in the air before they knew what was happening. Their bouquets were shoved into their free hands and they were nudged forward. Finally snapping out of their daze, the two woman grinned as they made their way back down the aisle to the cheers of everyone they loved most. As soon as they were out of view of the guests, Callie yanked Arizona into a small bathroom and slammed the door behind them. She had the blonde pushed against the sink before she could stop her.

"Okay..." Callie kissed her wife fervently for a moment, then pulled away to breath. "I think we probably have exactly ten minutes before my mother uses her creepy mom powers to find us for photos."

"What can we do in ten minutes?" Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's waist and started kissing her way across the brunette's exposed shoulders. "God, I love this dress."

"We can do plenty." Callie rolled her head back as Arizona kissed her way up her neck. "But maybe not this."

"Why?"

"Because you're driving me crazy and it's physically impossible to get out of this dress and then back in it in ten minutes." It took a team of three people and a lot of muscle to get into it in the first place.

"Who said it needed to come off?" Arizona smirked.

"There are at least five thousand layers to this thing. There is no way."

"Sounds like a challenge to me." Arizona squatted down. "You know I like a good challenge."

"Babe..." Callie growled when Arizona started bunching up her dress from the bottom. She reached down and pulled the blonde up to move her lips to her own. They moaned in to each others mouths as their bodies rubbed against each other. The material their expensive dresses were made out of was surprisingly thin and they could feel every delicious sensation through them.

"Calliope!" Lucia yelled through the door. "Your uncle saw you two go in there."

"Fuck." Callie whispered. They barely made it five minutes. She was going to kill whatever uncle ratted them out.

"Busted." Arizona laughed. She placed one hand on Callie's shoulder and gently pushed her away. "Let's go get our pictures taken. There will be plenty of time for secret rendezvous later tonight." She winked at the brunette and pulled the door open. "Hi, Lucia."

"Will you two quickly go see Drake to fix your hair and make up." Lucia shook her head. "I swear, can't even wait ten minutes before going at it."

"Sorry, Mama." Callie glanced in the mirror and blushed. It was pretty obvious what they had been doing. She looked back at her wife and noticed she didn't look much better.

"Don't say sorry to me. If you want to explain to your future children why you look like a mess in all your wedding photos, that's fine by me."

"We'll be right out, Lucia." Arizona took Callie's hand and headed upstairs to find the stylist.

"How are you getting up the stairs so easily?" Callie's feet were already killing her in her wedding shoes. She wished she thought to break them in before today. She had to laugh when Arizona lifted her dress to reveal a pair of purple chucks. "Figures."

"Teddy wouldn't let me wear my Heelys."

"Remind me to thank her later."

"I have another pair if you want to change."

"They're not the pink ones are they?"

"No, red."

"Perfect."

* * *

An hour later, pictures were done and people were starting to get hungry. Arizona and Callie stood holding hands out of sight of the large white tent the reception was being held in. Laughter and chatter from their guests spilled out of the tent, surrounding them. Callie smiled when she heard Daniel's loud belly laugh followed closely by Alexa's giggles float above them all. The smells of their waiting dinner made both of their stomachs growl in protest. They smiled at each other silently as the waited for their entrance cue. They weren't in any hurry. They were both perfectly content standing outside under the stars together all night. Arizona pulled Callie closer to her by her arm. She rested her head on the brunette's shoulder and released a happy sigh when Callie snaked her arm around her lower back, hugging her even closer. "I think this is my favorite part of the wedding so far."

"What is?" Callie asked quietly. She didn't want to disturb the little peaceful bubble they were in.

"Just being out here with you. I feel like I could conquer the world right now."

"Me too." Callie kissed the top of her wife's head. "I can't get over how beautiful you look tonight."

"All for you, Calliope." Arizona lifted her head when she heard knocking on a microphone and everyone getting quiet. "I guess this means we have to go in now."

"Yeah." Callie sighed. "Or we can run away?"

"No way." Arizona laughed. "I'm hungry."

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The couple heard the announcer say. Callie pulled Arizona closer to the door. "I'm pleased to announce the new Mrs. and Mrs. Robbins-Torres!" They heard You, Me, and the Boatman by Quiet Company start playing, but didn't move.

"That's us?" Arizona asked in disbelief. She also had to laugh at Callie's odd song choice for their entrance.

"That's us. Sounds so weird. Doesn't it?" Callie grinned. "But, I like it."

"Me too." Arizona grinned back.

"Mrs. and Mrs. Robbins-Torres!" The voice said again.

"Come on before they think we actually did run away."

"Or think we're off having sex somewhere."

"Really, Arizona?" Callie laughed.

"Sorry, wishful thinking." Arizona shrugged and led her new wife into the reception. They jumped back in surprise when everyone stood up and clapped. They clung on to each other as they made their way around the room thanking various family members and friends for coming. Callie was enjoying getting to meet other people from Arizona's family, not that she was able to remember any of their names right now. They all seemed just as loving and accepting as the Robbins are. After what seemed like hundreds of introductions and congratulations, the brides finally made it to their table where food and drinks were already waiting for them. Their bridal party took it upon themselves to ward off anyone who approached the table, so the two women could enjoy their dinner in peace. *ding, ding, ding* Everyone at the reception looked towards the parent's table when they heard the sound of silverware clinging against a glass. Arizona frowned when she saw her dad standing up.

"Good evening everyone! I'm Daniel Robbins and I'm the proud father of Arizona. She's one of the brides, in case you haven't been paying attention. I was elected among the parents to be the one who got to deliver a speech tonight. Feel free to continue enjoying your delicious meals, provided by Carlos and Lucia, who we all should make sure to take a chance to thank some time tonight." Daniel waited until the polite applause died down. "When our little Butterfly was sixteen she had her heart broken for the first time. She locked herself in her room for a week, swearing she was going to die. Luckily, I was somehow able to convince her she was not actually going to die. I told her that it was for the better, because she should never settle for anyone less than her soulmate. She wanted to know how she would know when she found her. I didn't know how to answer that question. There isn't really an explanation for it, you just know. Arizona, being the moody teenager that she was, just rolled her eyes at me, brushed me off, and continued to pout. To her, I was just an old man who didn't know what he was talking about. So, beautiful daughter of mine, I'd like to take this opportunity to let you admit in front of all our family and friends that your dear old father was right. I'll wait." Daniel lowered the microphone and smiled expectantly at his daughter.

"Yes, Dad, you were right." Arizona took Callie's hand and grinned at her father. "For once in your life."

"I hope someone got that recorded." Daniel laughed. "Now Callie-" Daniel paused and grinned at his daughter's new wife.

"He's not going to mention the underwear thing is he?" Callie whispered to Arizona.

"I'm sorry, babe. There's no way he wouldn't." Arizona was glad they were already married or Callie might leave her now.

"Fantastic." Callie picked up her glass of champagne and slumped down in her chair as best as she could in her restricting dress.

"The first time we heard about our daughter's new interest was over the phone. She, of course, denied it, but her mother and I could hear the true happiness in her voice. Something we haven't heard in years, so it was pretty obvious to us when it happened. Being the go getters that we are, Barbara and I decided to pay Arizona a surprise visit. We just had to see who or what was making our little girl smile again. Just imagine our surprise when we got to her house and was greeted by that beautiful young woman," Daniel pointed at a blushing Callie, "wearing nothing but her underwear. Our daughter was nowhere in sight."

"Oh my god." Callie laughed and covered her face. "I had a shirt on!"

"Don't worry though, I got her back." Daniel chuckled. "Luckily, she didn't run for the hills. I know Arizona would never forgive me. That's when I knew that Callie would fit right into our family. Barbara and I couldn't have picked out a more perfect woman to marry our daughter. Now, I am sorry, but I'm about to quote the bible at you. It's what my father told me on my wedding day and it has stuck with me through all my many years of marriage. 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.' Just remember that and I promise you will be fine. I don't think I have to wish you good luck in your marriage. Anyone can see that you were meant to be together. I love you Arizona and I love you Callie. Let's drink!" Daniel raised his glass. When everyone followed, he took a drink and sat down. Callie looked beside her to see that Mark was now standing up. She gave him a look that said if he said anything incriminating, she'd kill him. Mark winked at her and looked around the room to make sure he had everyone's attention.

"Hi everyone! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mark Sloan, Callie's best man. Cal and I have been best friends for over twenty years, before Blondie here swept in and replaced me. No hard feelings, by the way. There isn't anyone else I'd rather have in that spot, because I know, without a doubt, that you will treat her just as well as I do. Since Callie and I have been friends for so long, you all can imagine what kind of dirt I can tell you about our little Cal-Cals." Mark flinched when he felt a foot connect with his shin under the table. "But, being the good friend that I am, I'll keep it family friendly." Mark glared down at Callie, who gave him an apologetic smile. "Cal and I met when we were little kids. We shared a mutual aversion to socializing with all the losers on the playground, because we were obviously too cool for them. So, we hid under the slide by ourselves, drawing random pictures of things, and contemplating the meaning of life the best way a seven year old can. If that's not cool, then I don't know what is. Even though she was just an icky girl at the time (still is, by the way), she quickly became my best friend. She was the only one who would listen to me and who seemed to understand me completely. She has always been caring and thoughtful towards everyone she met, even if they didn't deserve it. All who know her know she is very special, as we've heard plenty of times tonight. I was an only child growing up, so Callie has always been a sister to me and I'm happy to now call Arizona one too. I was there the first time Callie met Arizona. There was an obvious instant connection, even though I think they were too busy drooling over each other to notice it at first."

"I was not drooling." Callie whispered to Arizona.

"I mostly definitely was." Arizona grinned. No use lying about it now. She still caught herself drooling over her wife sometimes. How could she not?

"I was there to watch their relationship blossom. It wasn't easy at first, but once they got over the major hump, their growing love was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. It was amazing to be able to watch two people who were clearly made for each other come together and fall in love. I am very honored to be a part of their special day and I look forward to witnessing the rest of their amazing journey. To Callie and Arizona," Mark raised his glass, "may your love be modern enough to survive the times, but old fashion enough to last forever. Cheers!"

"Mark..." Callie smiled when her friend sat back down. "That was sweet. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Love you too, Cals." Mark laughed and hugged the brunette. They turned their attention to the other side of the table when Teddy stood up.

"Hi! My name is Teddy Altman and I had the honor of being Arizona's maid of honor tonight. I wanted to start by saying how much I've enjoyed meeting everyone here so far and I know Arizona and Callie are happy to have you all here with them tonight. They both make stunning brides. Don't you agree?" Teddy paused for applause. "Zona and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. My parents used to take me to her parent's bakery almost daily where her and her brother, Tim, would be running around greeting customers and pretending to help out. She'd always save the duds they couldn't sell for me. That's when I knew I had a friend for life. Growing up with Arizona and Tim was always an adventure. I got to experience so many things I never would have done on my own. The three of us were inseparable. They made my childhood the best an anti-social dork like I was could have. I could always count on Zona to make me laugh and to love me no matter what. We have an understanding of each other that can't be put into words. When Tim died, I not only lost the most important man in my life, but I also lost my best friend, Arizona. Not to go into many details, this is a happy occasion after all, but there was no bringing her back. When Zona called me up one day freaking the fu... heck out over some girl she met, I was shocked. I haven't heard her sound so animated about anything in years, even though she called me to say she messed it all up with the girl. I gave her some of my excellent best friend advice, of course. I believe the words crazy, stubborn, moronic, and idiot were thrown around a few times. I didn't hear anything after that, so I decided to pay her a visit. I went to her house and found Callie. She wasn't in her underwear, but close enough."

"Oh my god." Callie covered her face again.

"You think you would have learned." Arizona laughed.

"I figured Zona took my advice and pulled her head out of her butt. I got to get to know Callie on that trip and I just knew she was perfect for my best friend. I could already tell Zona was starting to go back to her old self. She was definitely happy, at least. Not only is Callie great for Zona, but she has quickly become one of my closest friends too." Teddy exchanged smiles with the brunette and pulled something out of the front of her burgundy bridesmaids dress. "Now, when I was going through Tim's stuff, I found something rather interesting." She held up the piece of paper, so Arizona could see it. The blonde recognized it immediately and gasped.

"Teddy, no!" Arizona tried to take it out of her friend's hand, but Teddy was prepare for that and ran behind Alex. Arizona growled and covered her face. Callie stared at her in amusement.

"Timothy and Arizona's Perfect Woman." Teddy read off the top of the paper. "Judging by the date on this, Arizona was about nineteen when they made this. I'll just read her half of the list." Teddy paused and grinned mischievously at her friend. "The first category is labeled 'Looks' and it says her perfect woman must be both hot and cute, have a nice rack (not fake), great ass, brunette, eye color doesn't matter, full lips, preferably taller, good hygiene, and a sexy smile." Teddy looked at Callie. "I think we've covered all of those. Check! The second category is not exactly family friendly, so I'll skip that one."

"You fit all those too." Arizona winked at Callie, which made the brunette blush.

"Okay," Teddy continued, "the only other category is labeled 'Everything Else'. Nice, Zona."

"I was nineteen!" Arizona couldn't help but laugh. Her priorities were different back then.

"Must be smart, loving, caring, patient, kind, adventurous, fun, have a good sense of humor, positive, romantic, confidant, trust worthy, chill, not selfish, understands the importance of family, isn't afraid to show off their relationship in public, and goal oriented. And as bonuses, but not musts, artistic, can cook, and can sing." Teddy looked up at the couple. "I think she checks all of those boxes too."

"She does." Arizona grinned at Callie. "You're perfect."

"So are you." Callie leaned in to kiss her wife, but was interrupted by Teddy's voice.

"Whenever I look at this couple, I can't help but smile. They are truly the perfect match and I know they're going to last forever and even into the next life. Last night we did this weird powwow thing."

"You guys did a powwow with out me?" Mark asked Callie. That was something they all used to do as kids together.

"Sorry, you left already." Callie shrugged.

"And in this powwow thingy they told me to write down a wish. I apparently won my wish somehow, so I technically shouldn't be sharing it with all of you, but I hope it comes true anyway. I wished that I'd be able to find a love like theirs." Teddy picked up her glass and lifted it in the air. "To Arizona and Callie- lovers, friends, and soulmates. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone around the room clinked glasses together. Arizona and Callie hugged Teddy before going back to their food.

Again the brides ignored the world around them as they only saw each other. Their parents entertained their families. Their friends entertained each other. It wasn't until Alexa came running over with a small cup of cotton candy for Arizona that the brides realized they were probably being rude. "This is the best cotton candy I've had in my whole life." Alexa said, shoving a large amount in her mouth all at once. The sticky pink substance already covered her face and hands.

"Your whole life, huh?" Callie laughed. She reached out to take some of Arizona's, but the blonde moved it away.

"Not uh, mine." Arizona grinned and ate some more. Alexa was right, it was the best.

"We're married now. You're supposed to share."

"There was a 'no sharing cotton candy' clause in our marriage contract."

"Oh really?"

"You should really read all the fine print, Calliope." Arizona said with a serious face. "I thought you were supposed to be a smart business woman."

"We had no marriage contract." Callie pointed out.

"It's in my head and you sighed it as soon as you said 'I do'." Arizona finished off her cotton candy in one bite and took a drink of her almond champagne. "Mmm... I'm a genius."

"You can have some of mine, Auntie Callie." Alexa held out the sticky mess in her hand. Callie had a hard time not showing her disgust.

"That's very nice of you to share, Lex, but I'm not hungry anymore."

"Okay." Alexa shrugged and licked her fingers.

"Maybe you should go wash up before your mom sees you." Callie suggested. Her niece was getting dangerously close to her white wedding dress and she didn't really want pink goo on it.

"Okay." Alexa turned and ran towards the house.

"I love that dress you picked out for her." Arizona said. Today was the first time she saw the flower girl's dress.

"She picked it out herself. I had no say in it."

"I was expecting her to show up in a tutu."

"Me too." Callie laughed. She didn't care if she did or not. "Aria put her foot down on that though."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't baby Zozo." Arizona and Callie looked up to see a man about their age grinning down at them.

"Hi Rod." Arizona rolled her eyes. Inviting him was not her choice. Her parents made her, since she wanted to invite his parents. She loved them, not their skeezy son. "Calliope, this is my cousin."

"Nice to meet you." Callie shook his hand. The way he refused to let go and the creepy smile he was giving her made her uneasy. "I think."

"I can't believe Zozo scored a woman as hot as you." Rod frowned when the brunette ripped her hand away from him. "Are you rich or something now, Zo? Got yourself a trophy wife?"

"Bye Rod." Arizona gave her mom a pleading look from across the room. Barbara understood immediately and started to head towards them.

"I'm just trying to get to know Callie."

"Rodney Eugene Robbins!" Barbara yelled when she got closer. "Just because you can never get a woman to come near you, it doesn't mean you need to drool all over your cousin's."

"Aunt Barb, I wasn't." Rod put his hands up defensively.

"You were too. Now get away from them before I tell your mother it was you who stole her car and wrecked it."

"How did you-"

"Go!" Barbara glared at him until he finally turned around to go find his parents.

"Thanks, Mom." Arizona laughed.

"No problem, baby girl." Barbara leaned across the table and kissed her daughter's cheek. "You two having fun."

"We are." Callie smiled.

"Good. According to Lucia's schedule, I think the dances are coming up soon."

"Who's ready for the first dance!?" The dj asked almost right on cue. When everyone cheered, he called the brides to the center of the dance floor. "You ladies ready?" When Callie nodded he started Regina Spektor's version of Real Love.

"You okay?" Callie asked Arizona when she saw her nervous expression.

"Yeah, it's just a lot of people watching us." The two women adjusted their dresses so they wouldn't trip over them.

"It's an easy one." Callie took her wife in her arms. "You just have to sway, basically."

"How boring."

"Okay, then follow my lead." Callie grinned and started to spin them around the dance floor, forcing those closer to them to back up. Arizona knew she probably had the goofiest smile on her face as they danced, but she didn't care. This was her wife and her wedding, she can look as silly as she wanted to. She smiled even wider and her heart sped up when Callie started to sing the lyrics softly to her. "_It's real love. It's real, yes it's real love. It's real. From this moment on I know exactly where my life will go..."_

"I love you." Arizona interrupted the brunette's signing. The stunning smile her wife gave her stirred up butterflies.

"I love you too." Callie slowed their dance to a gentle sway so she could kiss Arizona. They stayed locked in each others arms until the song was over. They pulled away when they felt a tap on each of their shoulders. Neither woman heard the announcement for the father/daughter dance.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I would like to dance with my daughter," Carlos said.

"Me too," Daniel agreed. The two men managed to separate the women to opposite sides of the dance floor. Wildflowers by Tom Petty blared through the speakers. "Zona, I think you can look away from her for three minutes to dance with your old man."

"Hmm?" Arizona didn't think it was possible to stop staring at her bride. It was like the brunette had put her under a spell. From the looks of it, Callie seemed to be having the same problem. When their eyes met, they smiled at each other, both wishing they were back together. This was the first time all night they weren't touching in some way.

"Oh, for gods sake!" Daniel laughed and danced them closer to Callie and Carlos.

"Is Arizona ignoring you too?" Carlos chuckled when they got closer.

"Yeah, I figured at least you and I could talk this way." Daniel smiled when Arizona turned her head to glare at him. "I guess any attention is good attention at this point."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Callie finally turned her attention to her father. "I do want to dance with you."

"Thank you, Mija." Carlos turned them so his daughter's back was to the other pair. "I remember when you used to stand on my feet when you were a little girl."

"I'm a little big to do that now." Callie laughed. She probably outweighed the shorter man.

"You can dance just fine now on your own. Just like your mother." Carlos didn't notice they had spun around again and he instantly lost his daughter's attention to the woman across the dance floor. "Maybe I should just go dance with Daniel."

"I'm sorry." Callie tore her eyes away from her laughing wife. Apparently Daniel was hysterical. "Have you seen her though?"

"Yes, you are very lucky."

"Trust me, I know." Callie told herself that every night before she went to sleep.

"Dad, stop!" Arizona laughed. Her dad was not taking this dance very seriously.

"I'm sorry to say you inherited your lack of rhythm from me. Well, after what I just witnessed, you don't have that problem anymore."

"No, Calliope has showed me that I can do anything. I cook now too!" Arizona smiled proudly. "And I'm actually pretty good."

"Well, I'll be damned." Daniel chuckled. "She's watching you again." He said when he saw the brunette's eyes focused on his daughter. "I wish your mother would look at me like that."

"She does." Arizona turned just in time to see Callie look away, which was a mistake, because now her eyes were glued on the brunette again. "How long is this song?"

"I don't know." Daniel laughed again. "I am very proud of you, you know."

"I know." Arizona looked back at her dad. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Butterfly." Daniel hugged her close and released her when the song ended. "Go get you girl."

"Thank you." Arizona kissed his cheek and looked up to find Callie was already next to her. Mark, Teddy, Cristina, Alex, and Addison joined them on the dance floor for the bridal party dance. Alcohol was obviously already flowing through the bridal party as everyone bopped around awkwardly to Friends O' Mine by Bowling for Soul. Arizona and Callie quickly went around the room and pulled the rest of their friend up to the dance floor before the song ended. For the next hour, they continued to dance with their friends and family as song after song played. When a slow one came on, Callie and Arizona decided to sit it out and get more drinks.

"That's going to be us when we're old." Callie said as they watched both sets of their parents dance.

"Yeah." Arizona smiled and rested her head on her wife's shoulder. "They look really happy."

"They are." Callie lifted Arizona's head and kissed her lips. "I'm happy too."

"Hi Aunties!" Alexa came bounding over and climbed into Callie's lap. "I can't wait to have my own wedding! This is so much fun!"

"You have a long way to go, Lex." Callie laughed. She frowned when the song changed to something she was positive she told the dj not to play. She did not want Lady Gaga played at her wedding. She saw the sly grin Cristina was giving her and shook her head. Figures.

"Oh my god!" Alexa screamed. "This is my jam!" She jumped off Callie's lap and ran to the dance floor and started shaking her butt with Cristina.

"What just happened?" Arizona laughed.

"I have no idea." Callie leaned close to the blonde's ear. "Want to get out of here?" She was exhausted and felt like they have fulfilled all their duties as the brides. Everyone else was welcome to stay and party as long as they wanted.

"We haven't had cake yet." Arizona pouted. "That's the best part."

"I thought the best part was marrying me?"

"Besides that."

"You bake cakes for a living!" Callie was ready to go. She didn't care about the cake. "You see them every day."

"But my parents baked this one. I haven't had one of their cakes in years."

"Fine." Callie sighed. She made eye contact with her mother and waved her over. "Mama, can we do cake now?"

"Of course, Calliope." Lucia noticed the exhausted looks on the two women's faces. "Maybe you two shouldn't have stayed up all night together. You wouldn't be so tired." She said as she walked away to tell the dj to announce they were doing cake early.

"Please, please, please tell me she didn't just say what I think she said." Callie whined.

"She said it." Arizona dropped her face in her hands. "Why is this always happening?"

"Because you two can't keep it on your pants." Teddy said as she sat down next to the blonde. "You weren't exactly quiet."

"Calliope, I want a divorce."

"No, you don't." Callie laughed. She stood up when the dj announced that they were needed at the cake. "Come on, let's get you some more sugar."

"Wow. This is perfect. Mer and Lexie, thank you." Callie said in awe when she saw the cake up close. It was an elegant white buttercream five tiered cake, with one side having branches that crept up and was covered in detailed fall colored maple leaves made out of sugar. They looked real. She reached out to touch one and accidentally broke the fragile leaf. She smiled sheepishly at Arizona, who just shook her head at her. The best thing about it was the sculpted figurines of her and Arizona. Their parents must have shown Meredith their dresses, because she mimicked them perfectly. Even their hairstyles were spot on. They were leaning towards each other in a kiss. "Do we have to cut it? It's too pretty."

"We'll cut the side without the tree." Arizona picked up the knife and cut a little piece for her and Callie.

"If you shove that in my face, I'll kill you." Callie warned.

"Would I do that?" Arizona smile innocently.

"Yes!" Callie had no doubt that she would. She took the plate the blonde handed her and picked up a small bite with her fingers. "Promise."

"Fine, I promise." Arizona rolled her eyes. "You're no fun." She opened her mouth to accept the bite of cake Callie offered her and hummed at the taste. "Is as good as I remember."

"Now me." Callie opened her mouth. When Arizona put a bite in her mouth, she quickly closed it, trapping the blonde's fingers. She noticed Arizona's eyes go darker as she licked and sucked the frosting off her fingers, keeping it as innocent looking as possible. Before it got too obvious she released them and smirked.

"You're mean." Arizona whispered. She picked up her slice of cake and went back to their table while the caterers sliced up the rest of it for their guests. Callie laughed and picked up her plate to follow.

"You're right, that was amazing." Callie licked her fork and set it down when she finished her cake. She chugged the rest of her champagne and slammed the glass down. "Ready now?"

"Definitely. Should we tell anyone we're leaving."

"No, that will take forever. My mother will take care of it."

"Seems rude."

"We'll send cards." Callie pulled Arizona to her feet and waved to her mom to tell her they were leaving. When Lucia nodded her acknowledgment, Callie drug her wife out of the back of the tent and across the yard.

"Where are we going?" Arizona asked, trying not to fall over from how fast Callie was walking.

"To the car."

"We can't drive."

"I know." Callie stopped in front of her Thunderbird that was already waiting in front of the house. She opened the back door and motioned for Arizona to get in. The blonde just did what she was told. Before she could scoot back, Callie was on top of her, kissing her lips hungrily. She stopped when she heard someone clear their throat.

"Ready to go?" Aria asked.

"Can't you tell?" Callie tried to get off of Arizona, but there was so much dress surrounding them now. She had a hard time trying to figure out which way was up.

"I wish you could see how ridiculous you look." Aria laughed.

"Shut up and help me." Callie felt hands pulling her up and was finally able to regain her footing. "I can't wait to get this thing off."

"Why don't you go inside and change?"

"Because I want to go now. If we go back inside there are probably a ton of people we'd have to talk to." Callie carefully climbed into the backseat with Arizona. Because of the amount of material in her dress, she was unable to get close to the blonde. "Can you take us home now?"

"Sure." Aria got in the driver's seat of Callie's car and started it. She waited a minute for it to warm up before driving. The women in the backseat were oddly quiet as she drove. When she looked in the rearview mirror she caught them staring at each other. She smiled and rolled her eyes before focusing back on the road. "What time does your plane leave tomorrow?"

"Noon." Callie answered without looking away from Arizona. They both smiled as they thought about their upcoming honeymoon.

"Where are you going again?"

"Italy."

"Cool. I've never been." Aria looked in the mirror again when they didn't say anything. She didn't know why she bothered trying to converse with the newlyweds. She turned into their driveway. "I'll see you guys when you get back?"

"Yeah." Callie and Arizona climbed out of the car. "Thanks Aria."

"You're welcome." Aria watched as they disappeared into their house. She was secretly pleased that her sister seemed to forget she had her car as was going to milk it while she was out of the country. She grinned as she pulled out of the driveway and headed back towards her parents.

* * *

"How do you get this thing off?" Callie growled at the buttons on the back of Arizona's dress. It was like one of those horrible puzzles they make you do to see of you are sober.

"I don't know, I can't see." Arizona laughed at her wife's frustration.

"Ha!" Callie grinned when she finally figured it out. "I win!" She helped the blonde out of her dress and left it on the floor. "Okay, now do mine."

"Turn around." Arizona unzipped the zipper and watched as the dress pooled around Callie's feet. The brunette quickly ripped the rest of her layers off and threw herself onto their bed.

"Oh my god, I can breath and move again." Callie took in a deep breath and released it. "Phew." She felt Arizona climb onto the bed next to her and reached out her arm so she could touch her. They laid together, staring at the dark ceiling in silence.

"I feel different." Arizona said after awhile.

"Different how?"

"I'm not really sure yet." Arizona turned her head to look at Callie. "I thought I'd feel the same."

"I know what you mean." Callie sat up on her elbows and looked around their bedroom. She didn't know what she was looking for.

"What?"

"I don't know." Callie laid back down. "I had a really good time tonight."

"So did I." Arizona smiled. "I have to admit that I'm surprised. I thought I'd hate it. But spending an entire night with you, celebrating us wasn't so bad. In fact, it was one of my favorite nights."

"I'm glad." Callie rolled onto her side and ran her hand across the blonde's stomach. "You know what could make it even better?"

"What?"

"We still have to consummate this thing or it doesn't count."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"You are the smartest person I know, so I should listen."

"You should." Callie moved so she was hovering over Arizona. "Less talking, more doing."

"I agree." Arizona reached up and pulled Callie's head down to kiss her. She moaned when their naked bodies connected. Even though they've done this a million times before, Callie felt a whole new kind of passion towards the woman moaning underneath her. She poured all of her new and old feelings into their kiss as their bodies moved in sync together. Their hearts started to do the same. When the kiss got more heated, Arizona had to pull away for a second to catch her breath. The way Callie was kissing her was different than anything else she's ever experienced with the brunette, but very welcomed. "My wife is way hotter than my fiancée."

"Shut up." Callie smiled and looked into her wife's captivating ocean blue eyes. The eyes she has found herself drowning in many times before. In this moment, she found herself to be a victim of them once again. She lifted her hand and brushed the stray hairs out of the blonde's face and rested her fingers on her flushed cheek. She continued to stare into her eyes with a small smile on her lips as she rubbed the soft skin of Arizona's cheek with her thumb.

"What are you thinking about?" Arizona didn't really need to ask. Callie's expressive eyes were showing her nothing but love.

"I was thinking that I love you."

"I love you too." Arizona reached her hand up and rested it on Callie's cheek. "My wife."

"Your wife." Callie smiled wider. "What?" She asked when Arizona's face suddenly lit up the room.

"It just sank in that we're actually married."

"I know." Callie smiled brighter than the blonde.

"You and me." Arizona rolled them over so she could be on top, without any fight from her wife. "We're married."

"We are." Callie laughed.

"And we're going on our honeymoon tomorrow." Arizona kissed the corner of Callie's mouth.

"We are."

"And we're going to start a family together." Arizona kissed the other corner.

"Yup." Callie grinned. She couldn't wait.

"And be together forever."

"I hope so."

"I know so." Arizona slowly moved her lips in sync with the brunette's eager ones. "And we're going to live happily ever after."

"You're a dork."

"Yeah, but you love me."

"I do." Callie kissed the blonde again. "My wife."

"Your wife." Arizona grinned against the other woman's lips. She was never took to get tired of saying that.

_The end of Cupcakes and Tattoos: Part One_

* * *

**I hope you're not screaming at me right now. Haha. **

**Song Calle sings is Out of My League by Stephen Speaks. You'll find me singing it at the top of my lungs quite often. The ring part of what Addison said was taken from my best friend's wedding. I'm sure she got it from somewhere else. I believe I already said where the readings were from. I think that's all the credits I needed to give, I hope. **

**I don't even know where to begin to say how sorry I am for taking so long on this. I really hope you guys liked it. **

**Sooo... I don't even know what to say right now. I feel all sad. This was the first fic I ever attempted. I had a lot of fun with it and the support and love I've received from it has been so amazing. I've learned so much from this and I plan to be around for awhile. **

**I left a lot of things open, I know. I plan to address them in the sequel. I will start posting the sequel right here. I don't plan on starting a whole new story. So, as long as you follow Cupcakes and Tattoos, you'll be alerted when I start the next part of Callie and Arizona's lives. **

**If you have any questions or things you want me to address in the sequel, feel free to leave a comment and I will make sure to include whatever it is I probably forgot. I know I was starting to have continuity issues, so I'm sure there's something. **

**Please check out my new main story, Learning to Love Again. There is also Mystery Caller and Do You See What I See? to read too. Cupcakes and Tattoos will be back before you know it. **

**I sure say a lot for not knowing what to say. Yeah?**


	45. I am not a real chapter

**So, it has been decided to mark this bad boy complete and create a separate story for part two. It's already been posted, so check out ****_Cupcakes and Tattoos 2: The Sweet Life_****. If it's not showing up yet, give it some time. **


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